THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  ILLINOIS 
LIBRARY 


178 

V28t 


The  person  charging  this  material  is  re¬ 
sponsible  for  its  return  on  or  before  the 
Latest  Date  stamped  below. 

Theft,  mutilation,  and  underlining  of  books 
are  reasons  for  disciplinary  action  and  may 
result  in  dismissal  from  the  University. 

University  of  Illinois  Library 


LIBRARY 
OF  THE 


The  True  Path; 

OR,  THE 

Murphy  Movement 

""*"*“*  *’  "  1  — — — — a— — — — — — — — —  — — am 

AND 

GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 

A  Complete  History  of  the  Rise,  Progress  and  Wonderful 
Effects  of  the  Great  Reformatory  Wave 
now  Deluging  our  Land; 

TOGETHER  WITH  THE 

Biography,  Addresses,  Incidents  and  Anecdotes  of 

FRANCIS  MURPHY, 

THE  GREAT  TEMPERANCE  APOSTLE. 

The  Most  Telling  Speeches  and  Appeals  of  Prominent 
Leaders  and  Helpers  in  Various  Parts,  with  the 
Intensely  Interesting  Experiences  of  the  Most 
Remarkable  of  the  Reformed  Men. 


By  Rev.  J.  Saml.  Vandersloot, 

Author  of  “Comprehensive  Bible  Encyclopedia;”  “Explanatory  Bibls 
Dictionary;”  “  Bible  History  and  Analysis;”  “Book  of  Bib¬ 
lical  Antiquities;”  “New  and  Improved  Dictionary  of 
Bible  Names;”  Etc.,  Etc.,  Etc. 


“  O  send  out  thy  light  and  thy  truth  :  let  them  lead  me.” — Ps.  xliii.  3. 
“  I  have  chosen  the  way  of  truth.” — Ps.  cxix.  30. 


PUBLISHED  BY 
L.  T.  PALMER  &  CO . , 
CHICAGO,  ILLS. 

1878. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress  in  the  year  1877,  by 


J.  SAML.  VANDERSLOOT, 


In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress  at  Washington. 


\U 

y  ztt 


CYRUS  STURDIVANT, 

THE  MODEST 

Hero  and  Christian  Reformer, 

WHOSE  WORTH  AND  SACRIFICES— THOUGH  ALMOST  LOST  SIGHT  OF  IN  THE 
MAGNITUDE  OF  THE  PRESENT  STRUGGLE — HAVE 
BROUGHT,  UNDER  GOD, 

FRANCIS  MURPHY 

FROM  THE  POWER  OF  RUM  TO  TEMPERANCE, 

AND  OF 

SIN  TO  RIGHTEOUSNESS, 

THIS  WORK  IS  DEDICATED, 

AS  AN  ACT  OF  JUSTICE'  AND  KINDLY  ACKNOWLEDGMENT, 

BY  THE  AUTHOR. 


1 

I 


cr- 


679793 


PREFACE. 


Great  movements  have  their  literature.  It  has  in¬ 
variably  been  so.  And  it  would  be  strange  if,  in  our 
civilization,  the  Murphy  Temperance  Reform  should 
prove  an  exception.  It  is  not  enough  that  books 
should  be  published  in  support  of  the  holy  cause. 
The  popular  mind  will  not  rest  here.  Its  special  and 
wonderful  achievements  must  be  recorded.  The  needed 
truths  must  be  heralded  and  preserved. 

In  deference  to  these  reflections  this  book  is  sent 
forth.  It  has  only  been  prepared,  however,  in  the 
spirit  that  should  be  dominant  in  every  work  of  life  — 
that  of  doing  good.  We  have  had  nothing  narrower 
to  inspire  us.  The  thought  that  what.  Francis  Murphy 

has  done,  in  particular  places,  both  of  himself  and 

« 

through  his  followers,  might  not  be  ineffectual  in  its 
saving  influence  among  the  quiet  villages  and  humble 
homes  throughout  our  beloved  borders,  has  nerved  the 
writer  to  his  task  along  many  weary  hours  before 
daylight  and  after  nightfall.  For,  let  it  be  remembered, 
that  11  The  True  Path  ”  was  written,  arranged  and 
completed  inside  the  remarkably  shprl  period  of  thirty 
days.  (3) 


4 


PUEFAOE. 


After  considering  this  last  statement,  it  will  sur¬ 
prise  us  if  errors  and  defects  do  not  appear.  And  it 
will  further  surprise  us  if  the  clear-headed  critics  and  - 
reviewers,  at  any  time,  exceed  the  proper  bounds  of  a 
commensurate  charity  in  pointing  out  our  shortcomings. 

We  have  had  something  of  difficulty,  and  expended 
somewhat  of  our  limited  time  and  means,  in  obtaining 
the  necessary  information.  Letters  have  been  written 
to,  and  papers  received  from,  various  parts,  that  all 
the  facts  of  our  subject  might  appear.  And  not  a  few 
gentlemen,  who  have  been  most  intimate  with  Mr. 
Murphy,  and  other  leaders  in  the  recent  moral  conflict, 
have  favored  us  to  the  extent  of  their  ability  ;  but  the 
success  we  have  attained  is  mainly  due  to  the  assiduous 
aid  of  our  publisher,  and  the  persistent  labors  and 
sacrifices  we  have  confronted.  To  all  we  freely  make 
obeisance. 

In  the  writing  out  of  Part  I,  entitled  u  The  Subject  as 
Presented  To-day,”  we  did  not  yet  have  in  our  posses¬ 
sion  the  required  events  for  the  biography  following 
it.  On  this  account  we  were  urged  to  consider  intro¬ 
ductory  such  incidental,  and  more  or  less  important 
matters,  as  “  Mr.  Murphy’s  Influence,”  u  His  Success,” 
u  Ilis  Difficulties,”  etc.  We  assented,  to  some  extent, 
under  the  protest  of  our  calm  judgment.  Nevertheless, 
as  our  sole  aim  is  to  confer,  in  our  weak  way,  blessings 
on  our  fellow-man,  we  are  willing  to  fall  under  any 
merited  condemnation.  There  are  those  who  may 


PREFACE. 


5 


meekly  arch  their  brows  and  say  they  “  could  have 
done  better.”  Very  likely  they  could.  But  let  them 
.  be  harnessed  up,  for  one  month ,  under  a  like  burden, 
and  try. 

Many  facts  furnished  in  this  volume  have  been  gath¬ 
ered  from  Mr.  Murphy’s  lips,  by  a  reporter  specially 
employed,  and  have  never  heretofore  found  their  way 
into  print.  They  have  also,  in  different  instances,  been 
properly  clothed  by  ourselves,  in  such  a  way  as  not  to 
mislead — either  by  undue  exaltation  or  any  attempt  at 
their  abasement.  Thus  they  are  peculiar,  and  indi¬ 
vidual  property.  The  speeches  we  present  have  been, 
in  cases,  solely  procured  through  personal  pains¬ 
taking  and  expense.  They  can  be  found  nowhere  else. 

Not  a  few  of  the  reformed  men,  being  familiar  with 
Mr.  Murphy’s  reticence  upon  things  relating  to  his 
career,  have,  in  looking  over  some  of  the  advance  sheets, 
been  amazed  at  the  fulness  and  evident  completeness 
of  our  history  of  the  Apostle’s  life.  They  have  conce¬ 
ded  that  it  gives  every  indication  of  a  connected  narra¬ 
tion  of  all  the  circumstances  most  important  to  the 
general  reader.  And  such  we  believe  to  be  the  fact. 
Certainly  we  have  done  all  that  Mr.  Murphy  can  or 
will  look  for,  everything  considered.  We  have  at¬ 
tempted,  at  every  turn,  to  hold  up  the  hands  of  the 
prophet ;  and,  although  not  a  famous  Aaron,  we  have 
assumed  the  role  of  an  unpretending  Hur. 

Our  mind  has  been  no  little  encouraged  by  the  report 


6 


PREFACE. 


that  not  a  few  of  Mr.  Murphy’s  friends  have  ordered 
many  copies  of  the  work,  and  that  they  are  unreserved  in 
their  avowed  purpose  to  regard  it  as  a  vade  mecum  in 
this  gigantic  campaign. 

Finally,  we  have  not  written  for  compensation.  This 
concerns  only  one — a  grain  in  the  desert  of  life — a  drop 
in  the  ocean  of  time.  But  we  have  fitted  up  what  we 
would  modestly  regard  as  a  “little  labor  of  love.”  Had 
our  spiritual  desires  and  advantages  not  appeared,  we 
would  never  have  begun  it.  We  have  looked  out  upon 
the  hundreds  of  thousands  going  along  in  the  deep 
current  of  sin  to  the  yawning  and  seething  cataract  of 
destruction,  and  we  have  thrown  out  this  life-line  to 
them — not  without  many  anxious  prayers  and  tears — 
in  the  hope  that  some,  yea,  many,  might  grasp  it  and 
be  saved.  And  we  have  lifted  up  our  eyes  and  heart 
“unto  the  hills,  from  whence  cometh  our  help,”  and 
seen  the  golden  wreaths  of  eternal  royalty  waving  above 
them  ;  and  have  heard  the  words,  so  prophetically  scin¬ 
tillating  through  the  swift  rolling  centuries,  “  They  that 
be  wise  shall  shine  as  the  brightness  of  the  firmament : 
and  they  that  turn  many  to  righteousness,  as  the  stars 
forever  and  ever.”  J.  Saml.  Y. 


I 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


PART  I. 

THE  SUBJECT  AS  PRESENTED  TO-DAY. 


CHAPTER  I.  page 

Mr.  Murphy’s  Influence. — His  Success. — Leading  Characteristics,  13 

CHAPTER  II. 

Mr.  Murphy’s  Difficulties. — Influences  Against  Him. — A  Warning,  21 

CHAPTER  III. 

Previous  Temperance  Movements. — Different  Opinions  Current. 

— At  the  Roots,  .  .  .  .  .  •  .  .  .  .30 


CHAPTER  IV. 

Gospel  Temperance. — Opposition  of  Christians. — The  Term  as 
Used  by  Mr.  Murphy. — Example  and  Teaching  of  Christ. — 
Christ’s  Wine  not  Intoxicating. — Mr.  Murphy  Consistent. — 
Necessity  for  Gospel  Temperance, . 41 


PART  II. 

THE  BIOGRAPHY  OF  FRANCIS  MURPHY. 


CHAPTER  V. 

Mr.  Murphy’s  Early  Life. — His  Parents’  Religion. — Struggles 
with  Poverty.— Peculiar  Hospitality. — Youngsters  Huddled 
into  the  Kitchen. —  Wrong  Treatment. —  Irish  Custom  of 
using  Liquor. — Appetite  for  Liquor  First  Formed. — A  Way 
that  is  not  the  “True  Path.” — Limited  Educational  Advan- 

0) 


s 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

tages.  —  A  “  Piggy -back”  Flogging.  —  Outrageously  Dealt 
with. — Effect  of  Unkindness  and  Injustice. — “  An  Act  most 
Difficult  to  Forgive.” — Longing  for  a  Freer  Air. — An  Im¬ 
movable  Purpose. — Employed  at  a  Castle. — A  Difficult  Task,  53 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Coming  to  America. — The  Decision. — A  Self-sacrificing  Woman. 

— Circumstances  of  the  Event. — Last  Week  in  Ireland. — The 
Last  Night. — The  Mother’s  Blessing. — The  Separation. — 

The  Voyage,  . . 68 

CHAPTER  VII. 

On  the  Sea  and  in  the  New  World. — Drinking  and  Treating. — 
Turned  out  Upon  the  World. — Everything  Gone. — A  Situa¬ 
tion  Secured. — Off  to  Canada. — At  Farm  Work. — Gets  Mar¬ 
ried. — A  Christian  Wife. — Arrival  of  a  Brother,  .  .  7S 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

Removed  to.  Portland. — A  New  Business. — His  Wife  Opposed  to 
it.- — Acting  Alone. —  Bradley  House  Rented.  —  Will  Sell 
Liquor  “  Respectably.” — Promised  Her  not  to  Drink. — At 
Home  m  the  Hotel. — A  Genuine  Convert. — Business  Suc¬ 
cessful. — A  Wreck  at  Last. — Manner  of  his  Ruin. — A  Man’s 
Neck  Broken. — Continuous  Dissipation,  .  .  .  .86 

CHAPTER  IX. 

The  arm  of  the  Law  to  be  Invoked. — Everything  Lost,  and  With¬ 
out  a  Friend. — Arrested. —  A  Confiding  Man. — Thrust  into 
Jail. — Deserted. — An  Erroneous  Opinion. — A  Faulty  Sys¬ 
tem. — Wrong  in  Practice. — Must  go  the  Fountain  Head. — 
Auxiliaries. — A  Suffering  Family,  .  .  .  .  .  95 

CHAPTER  X. 

Captain  Cyrus  Sturdivant. — Religious  Services  in  the  Jail. — Mr. 
Murphy  Attends  the  Meeting. — A  True  Friend. — Valuable 
Men. — There  is  Hope  for  You. — Power  of  Kindness. — 
Little -Things. — Noble  Feelings. — “God  Bless  You!”  .  .  106 

CHAPTER  XI. 

A  Week  of  Suffering. — The  Words  Put  into  his  Mouth. — Influ¬ 
ences  of  the  Spirit  Essential. — Plan  to  be  Adhered  to. — A 
Notable  Day. — Great  Religious  Meeting  in  Jail. — Espied  his 
Wife. — A  Bouquet  and  a  Fond  Meeting. — Sought  Out  by  a 
Loving  Company, . 1 1 5 


CONTENTS. 


9 


CHAPTER  XII.  page 

Prayer-meeting  in  the  Dark  Dungeon. — Mr.  Murphy’s  Conver¬ 
sion. —  The  New  Birth. — A  Subject  Worthy  Attention. — 
Loose  Religion. — Days  of  Miracles. — A  Transformation. — 
Light  Hearts. — Kept  in  Prison. — Asks  to  Conduct  a  Prayer¬ 
meeting. — Seventy-five  Prisoners  Converted. — Divine  Na¬ 
ture  of  the  Work,  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .124 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

His  Imprisonment  a  School. — No  Help  for  His  Wife. — Denied 
Herself  Bread. — No  Meals  that  Day. — Mrs.  Murphy’s  Sad 
Letter. — A  Bitter  Night. — Released. — A  Complete  Wreck. — 

The  Meeting. — An  Earnest  Prayer. — Erects  a  Family  Altar.  — 
Fruit  and  Garments  Brought. — New  Duties  and  Trials. — Mrs. 
Murphy’s  Death. — A  Sad  Family. — The  Most  Important  of 
Events. — Cannot  but  Work. — A  Complete  Preparation  for  it,  133 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

First  Appearance  as  a  Lecturer. — Surprised  at  the  Result. — His 
Influence  Extending. — Rallies  the  People  at  Freeport. — -A 
Sanguinary  Struggle. — Dio  Lewis  Astonished. — Arranges  to 
Go  to  Pittsburg. — Discouraged. — An  Unexampled  Success. — 
Prominent  Circumstances. — Incidents,  .  .  .  .  ,  144 

CHAPTER  XV. 

Mr.  Murphy’s  Services  Secured  for  Philadelphia. — Philanthropists 
Take  Hold. — Wonderful  Success  in  a  Short  Time. — Means 
of  Spreading  the  Cause. — Frauds. — Movement  Free  from 
Bad  Men. — No  Exaggeration. — At  Once  Convinced. —  No 
Abuse. — A  Labor  of  Love. — But  One  Inspiration. — No 
Prejudices, . . 154 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

Facts  About  a  Sunday  Breakfast. — Capt.  Sturdivant  Present. — 
What  a  Group  Thought. — Stopped  by  a  Young  Lady. — How 
the  Thing  Works. — In  the  Breakfast  Room. — Could’ nt  Re¬ 
sist. — The  Worship. — Pleasant  Things. — All  Happy. — A 
Tippler’s  Rebellion. — Murphy,  the  True  Leader. — The 
Leaven  of  Religion. — How  it  Used  to  be. — How  the  Change 
Began. — The  Result. — A  Slight  Instrument. — The  Reports 
from  All  Parts, . 161 


10 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  XVII.  page 

Ribbon-wearing. — Different  Colors. — The  Red  Ribbon  Pledge. — 
Good  Purposes. — The  Struggle. — Murphy,  the  Leader. — All 
are  Murphy’s  Followers. — People  Demanding  to  Sign. — 
Firebrands. — “  Do  They  Stick,”  ......  1 7 1 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Mr.  Murphy’s  Compensation. — Urged  to  Lecture. — Consents,  but 
Cancels  Engagements. — A  Pauper. — Making  a  Mistake. — A 
Fact  not  Understood. — Strictures. — The  Laborer  Worthy. — 
Could  Earn  More  in  Other  Directions. — Mr.  Murphy’s  Words 
Substantiated,  . 176 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

Mr.  Murphy’s  Children. — The  Lecturer  Himself. — When  Before 
an  Audience — A  Superior  Character. — “  Bother  their  Blar¬ 
ney.” — Is  not  Unsocial. — “That  Hat.” — It  Rambles  About. — 

Mr.  Murphy  not  Artificially  Reserved. — Scrupulously  Tidy,  .  182 


PART  III. 

INTERESTING  ADDRESSES  AND  EXTRACTS. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

Speech  of  Mr.  Murphy  at  Columbus,  ......  189 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

Selections  from  Mr.  Murphy’s  Speeches,  .  .  .  .  .216 

CHAPTER  XXII. 

Remarks  by  Capt.  Sturdivant. — Speech  of  Capt.  W.  B.  Claney. — 

Speech  of  Alderman  Harry  B.  Smithson,  ....  228 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 

Address  of  John  King. — Speech  of  Gen.  Joe  Geiger. — Speech  and 
Song  of  Elijah  Delaney. — Remarks  of  Thomas  O’Neil. — 
Extract  from  Speech  of  Thos.  H.  Leabourn. — An  Important 
Departure, . 246 


CONTENTS. 


11 


CHAPTER  XXIV.  page 

Sketch  of  Miss  Frances  E.  Willard. — Address  of  Miss  Willard. — 
Closing  of  a  Speech  by  Miss  Willard. — Remarks  of  Miss 
Willard  at  Boston. — Extracts  from  Speeches  of  Miss 
Willard,  ..........  260 

CHAPTER  XXV. 

Important  Extracts  from  Speeches  by  Col.  Drew,  D.  L.  Moody, 
Samuel  P.  Godwin,  William  Moran,  and  Extract  from  an 
Address  by  Bishop  W.  B.  Stevens,  .....  282 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 

A  Famous  Lecturer  Heard  from. — John  B.  Gough’s  Latest  Gos¬ 
pel  Temperance  Lecture,  .  .  .  .  .  .  .297 


PART  IV. 

IMPORTANT  FACTS,  INCIDENTS  AND  EXPERI¬ 
ENCES  OF  REFORMED  MEN. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

Storming  the  Devil’s  Den. — Frank  Murphy  in  Ramcat  Alley. — 
Marriage. — Among  the  Barrel  Houses. — Dispatch. — Flowers. 

— Mr.  John  L.  Linton. — “The  Floggers  Flogged.” — Results 
of  the  Murphy  Movement. — “The  Hardest  Drinker.” — 

“  Mr.  Murphy’s  Pocket-book  Converted.” — “  Success  by  the 
Law  of  Love.” — Murphy  and  the  “Fire-sharps.” — “Re¬ 
formers  Recognized.” — “A  Mother’s  Love.” — “  Slow  Pro¬ 
gress,”  . 323 

CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

A  Charitable  Gift. — How  an  Irishman  Quit  Selling  Liquor. — 
“Rum  Killed  Them.” — “The  Right  About  Face.” — 
“Going  to  Satan’s  Domains.” — How  the  Women  were 
“  Started.” — “  Then  Shake  !” — “  I’m  Unraveling!” — “  Won 
and  Saved.” — “  I  Made  Him  what  He  was.” — Rum-mad¬ 
ness,  .  ,  .  336 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

“  What  Rum  will  Do.” — Thrilling  Story. — A  True  Irishman. — 

“  A  Cripple  for  Life.” — “  From  the  Top  of  the  Ladder  to 
the  Foot.” — “  Caught  in  a  Murphy  Net,”  ....  348 


' 12 


C O N T  ENTS 


CHAPTER  XXX.  page 

The  Way  to  Master  the  Appetite — “  Wouldn’t  Return  to  it  for 
$100  Per  Day.” — A  Pathetic  Story. — “Out  of  Six,  the  Only 
One.” — A  Wonderful  Deliverance,  .....  .358 

CHAPTER  XXXI. 

“Boys  Kidnapped”  by  Intemperance. — “  Drank  up  a  Barrel  of 
Money.” — The  Only  Sure  Help. — Ran  the  GauntLet  of  the 
Rum  Shops  in  Chicago. — “  Four  Times  in  Prison.” — “  God 
did  All  for  Him.” — That  Undertow  of  Temperance. — “  Pre¬ 
paration  to  Commit  Suicide.” — “Thirty  Years  of  Intemper¬ 
ance.”— Money  Brokers  Used  to  Get  All  my  Clothes.” — 

“  From  Forty  to  Fifty  Glasses  of  Liquor  a  Day.” — “  One  of 
the  Worst  of  Drinking  Men.” — “Twenty-live  Years”  of 
Slavery,  ..........  367 

CHAPTER  XXXII. 

Down  to  “  Bummer-poison.” — “  Tho  Only  True  Pledge.” — “  Not 
too  Much  Religion.” — “A  Drug  Store  Tippler.” — “Sold 
$16,000  Worth  in  One  Day.” — Promising  Before  an  Audi¬ 
ence. — “A  Professional  Pledge-taker.” — “Came  Two  Hun¬ 
dred  Miles  to  be  Redeemed.” — “  Saved  Through  a  Wife’s 
Prayers. — “  Beaten  by  One  Glass  of  Whiskey.” — “  Cost  Him 
$100,000.” — “  Rather  Have  the  Red  in  His  Button-hole.” — 

“  A  Dollar  in  His  Pocket.” — “  A  Richer  Man.” — “  Gash  in 
tee  Bank.” — The  Prayer  of  Faith. — “The  Happiest  Two 
Months.” — -“  Far  Happier  than  for  Fourteen  Years.” — 

“  Pleaded  at  the  Bar,”  .......  379 

CPIAPTER  XXXIII. 

Dr.  Henry  A.  Reynolds. — Biographical  Facts,  ....  387 

CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

Alcohol  has  no  Medicinal  Value. — Physicians  Trained  to  the  De¬ 
lusion. — What  Distinguished  Men  Say. — The  Medical  Fra¬ 
ternity  not  Innocent. — How  to  Succeed  more  Speedily. — Two 
more  Witnesses,  .........  396 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 

Alcohol  in  the  Light  of  Science— “  Is  it  Strange?” — What  Lamb 
Said  of  It — An  Appeal. — Closing  Words  to  the  Reformed 
Men, . -  404 


THE  TRUE  PATH; 

*  OR,  THE 

MURPHY  MOVEMENT 

AND  GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


PART  I— THE  SUBJECT  AS  PRESENTED  TO-DAY. 

CHAPTER  I. 

MR.  MURPHY’S  INFLUENCE. 

Francis  Murphy  is  a  surprise.  Within  a  com¬ 
paratively  short  time  he  has  astonished  the  whole 
country.  He  has  effectually  gained  the  popular  ear, 
and  almost  as  readily  won  its  heart.  Certainly,  his 
success  is  unequalled  in  the  annals  of  reform.  Ho 
other  man  has  risen  so  high  as  a  public  benefactor, 
and  a  real  friend  of  the  most  degraded  and  wretched 
among  men. 

Thus,  already,  his  influence  is  wonderful.  It  is  of 
a  most  commanding  character.  Not  only  do  lead¬ 
ing  men,  among  ministers,  merchants  and  others — 
of  both  great  mental  culture,  and  wealth — subscribe 

(13) 


14 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


to  his  plans  and  conform  to  all  his  most  reasonable 
wishes ;  but  his  influence  extends  to  every  grade 
and  character  of  our  people.  It  brings  thousands 
of  eager  and  devoted  disciples  to  his  feet.  It  goes 
beyond  the  bold  and  impertinent  stare  of  the  public 
eye,  and  enters  into  the  privacy  and  sanctity  of  the 
most  humble  homes.  It  finds  firm  anchorage  in  the 
shadow-land  of  family  trials,  and  carries  with  it  the 
needful  balm  that  issues  only  from  Divine  Truth  and 
its  association  with  human  effort.  It  rests  compla¬ 
cently  in  chambers  where  once  sadness,  fear  and 
squalid  misery  held  carnival.  It  establishes  the  true 
human  helper  and  friend — though  but  a  pliant  in¬ 
strument  m  the  Omnipotent  hand — in  the  hearts  of 
countless  thousands  of  innocent  and  dependent  ones, 
far  outnumbering  the  fathers,  husbands  and  bro¬ 
thers  redeemed. 

The  reason  for  all  this  is  plain.  It  is  in  the  fact 
that  through  his  remarkable  exertions  there  has 
been  lifted  from  priceless  souls  the  suffering  of  lives 
more  intolerable  than  any  death,  and  instead  thereof 
the  unbounded  happiness  dispensed  that  only  those 
long  denied  it  can  fully  experience.  And  it  is  further 
in  the  fact  that  the  number  of  souls  so  reclaimed  and 
freed  are  known  to  be  legion. 

The  speediest  and  most  effective  way  to  the 
interests,  sympathies  and  affections  of  an  intelligent 
people,  is  the  salvation  of  its  unfortunates.  Great 
men  have  often  become  so  by  saving  the  lives  of  a 
few  hundred  or  thousand  persons.  But  here  is  an 
instance  of  a  man,  under  God,  saving  thousands 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


15 


upon  thousands  of  lives — both  for  time  and  eternity. 
People  see  and  feel  this,  and  are  awakened  to  a 
sense  of  what  is  due  such  an  one. 

Nor  is  this  appreciation  limited  to  the  immediate 
fields  of  Mr.  Murphy’s  labor.  Ilis  influence  is 
almost  equally  powerful  and  far  reaching  in  every 
community.  His  name — with  his  words  of  kind¬ 
ness  and  wisdom,  and  deeds  of  love — has  been  well 
heralded  throughout  our  borders.  It  seems  as  if  the 
whole  nation  of  Intemperance  and  Vice  is  beginning 
to  fret  and  heave  from  the  enormous  load  his  skill  and 
struggles  have  put  upon  it.  And  it  is  .plain  that 
Christianity  and  Morality  have  been  stirred  up  to 
the  importance  of  a  hearty  co-operation  with  a  plan 
that  human  wisdom  can  in  no  way  condemn. 

All  feel  the  magnitude  of  the  work  now  fairly  in¬ 
augurated.  Every  atmosphere  is  full  of  the  move¬ 
ment  our  hero  has  championed.  The  millions  are 
only  waiting — and  anxiously — to  know  who,  and 
what,  he  really  is  who  has  been  able  to  so  trouble 
the  pools  throughout  our  great  social  system. 

HIS  SUCCESS. 

As  already  intimated,  Mr.  Murphy  is  a  new  star 
in  the  canopy  of  our  era — a  brilliant  gladiator  in  the 
arena  of  American  life.  He  is  both  a  leader  of  great 
promise,  and  a  general  of  prodigious  victories.  Ilis 
success  is  assured  for  the  time  to  come.  He  has 
taken  firm  root  in  the  soil  of  the  whole  people. 
Even  now  the  plant  fills  the  air  with  the  perfume  of 


16 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


its  blossoms  and  fruit.  All  concede  the  fact  that 
neither  tongue  nor  pen  can  do  justice  to  either  the 
worker  or  his  work. 

It  is  evident  that  more  than  one  million  persons 
have  signed  the  Murphy  pledge.  Among  these  is  a 
large  proportion  of  men  and  women  who  were  slaves 
to  their  appetites  for  strong  drink.  Hot  a  few  were 
confirmed  drunkards  and  outcasts.  This  is  a  glori¬ 
ous  record — one  that  should  cause  the  people  in  the 
true  path — they  of  the  Gates  of  Zion — to  be  filled 
with  pleasure  and  songs  of  thanksgiving. 

Through  this  unprecedented  success — we  may  say, 
this  extraordinary  share  of  Divine  blessing — the 
people  are  largely  aglow  with  earnestness  and  en¬ 
thusiasm.  There  is  a  disposition  on  the  part  of 
many  to  yield  personal  tastes  and  convictions,  and 
subscribe  to  anything  that  will  add  to  the  general 
result.  The  tendency  of  the  Church  is  toward 
more  of  prayer  and  labor  and  faith.  And  what  may 
we  not  expect  when  the  hearts  of  the  Christian 
public  are  turned,  from  day  to  day,  toward  God — 
He  who  redeems  more  willingly  than  men  receive 
his  inestimable  blessings. 

LEADING  CHARACTERISTICS. 

One  of  the  things  constantly  developed  in  Mr. 
Murphy's  labors  is  his  unfaltering  faith.  He  clearly 
has  his  convictions  fixed  upon  the  willingness  of  the 
Divine  Spirit  to  aid  every  noble  enterprise — especially 
that  having  for  its  purpose  purely  the  elevation  into 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


17 


spiritual  life  and  activity  of  his  unfortunate  fellow- 
men. 

He  also  has  confidence  in  the  fact  that  some¬ 
thing  of  good,  however  small  or  flickering,  exists 
down  somewhere  in  every  soul — something  which 
can  be  fanned  into  a  flame  sufficient  to  light  up  the 
whole  being  and  fill  it  with  righteousness  and  truth. 
He  has  faith  that,  hard  by  the  refreshing  and  en¬ 
kindling  power  of  the  Almighty,  on  the  one  hand, 
and  the  feeble  desires  and  latent  sympathies  of  the 
fallen,  on  the  other,  there  flows  a  continual  stream 
of  salvation  ;  and  that  a  brotherly  hand,  warmed  by 
a  loving  heart,  may  lift  into  useful  manhood  hosts 
of  men  who  have  long  ceased  to  look  for  real  friend¬ 
ship  upon  the  earth.  He  has  faith  also  that  even 
one  man,  leaning  heavily  upon  Christ,  can  accom¬ 
plish  more  against  evil  than  regiments  of  men  de¬ 
pending  solely  upon  themselves. 

Another  important  feature  is  his  peculiar  aptitude 
at  persuasiveness.  By  this  none  are  harmed  by  him, 
in  his  approaches,  or  addresses,  whilst  many  are 
either  surprised  and  impressed,  or  speedily  won  to 
him. 

The  former  method  of  badgering  with  inuendos, 
or  even  epithets,  is  disdained.  Even  the  first  show 
of  unkindness  is  studiously  avoided.  Ho  hostility 
is  awakened  in  the  breast  of  any  one.  Threatening 
is  not  so  much  as  thought  of  alongside  the  better 
and  more  potent  principle  of  Kindness — the  child  of 
Love — that  divine  grace  and  attribute  which  moves 
worlds,  and  heaven  itself. 

2 


18 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


Persuasion  is  at  once  carefully  and  thoroughly 
employed,  adhered  to,  and  held,  as  the  central 
motive  power.  Men  are  taken  by  the  hand.  This 
is  the  easy  and  sure  way  to  the  heart.  And  well 
might  religion  profit  by  this,  in  all  its  various  eccle¬ 
siastical  methods,  while  striving  for  the  glory  of  the 
Master.  There  is  more  hope  for  the  reclamation  of 
thousands  in  this  way  than  in  perhaps  most  of  the 
denunciatory  efforts  of  the  pulpit  and  rostrum. 
There  is  much  more  of  Christianity  in  the  friendly 
shake  of  the  hand  than  in  many  prayers  offered. 
Mr.  Murphy  not  only  understands  this,  but  seems 
to  consider  that  a  long  and  hearty  shake  of  the 
hand  and  a  short  prayer  is  at  no  disadvantage  over 
against  a  long  prayer  and  a  short  and  feeble  act  of 
fellowship.  He  moves  toward  the  erring  with  a 
soul  running  over  with  a  tenderness  and  persuasive¬ 
ness  that  melts  them  down  as  effectually  as  are  bat¬ 
talions  and  brigades  decimated  before  the  well- 
delivered  leaden  hail  of  an  entrenched  enemy. 

Thus,  where  there  has  been  no  desire  for  reforma¬ 
tion  he  excites  it.  No  matter  how  mean  in  appear¬ 
ance  the  man  may  be,  he,  the  champion,  grasps  his 
hand  and  says,  “  My  brother,  come  and  assert  your 
manhood  1  Come  !  You  shall  be  saved  1”  And  he 
comes — for  a  ray  of  hope,  for  the  first  time,  touches 
the  darkened  soul. 

There  is  also  presented  to  us  in  the  man  the  very 
essential  elements  of  personality — giving  shape  and 
even  solidity  to  a  sweeping  popular  enthusiasm. 
There  can  be  no  doubt  as  to  the  possession  of  this 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


19 


in  a  most  extraordinary  degree.  He  is  at  once  cap¬ 
tivating  through  his  gilt  of  eloquence,  his  most- 
ad  rnirable  earnestness,  his  impressive  manner,  his 
delicacy  of  feeling,  his  robust  and  enduring  physical 
organism,  and,  withal,  his  singularly  magnetic  pres¬ 
ence.  All  regard  his  personal  appeals  as  irresistible, 
and  calculated  to  thoroughly  imbue  his  hearers  with 
the  same  spirit  by  which  he  is  himself  moved. 

Thoroughness  is  seen,  too,  in  all  Mr.  Murphy  does. 
His  mind  not  only  expands,  in  proportion  to  the  de¬ 
mands  of  his  soul,  in  the  great  movement,  but  his 
plans  and  their  fulfilment  are  distinguished  for  pre¬ 
cision  and  effectiveness.  Nothing  is  done  loosely  or 
carelessly  ;  not  a  man  is  allowed  to  escape  him,  if  in 
any  way  adapted  to  the  work.  Is  one  a  good 
speaker  ;  has  he  an  important  and  telling  experience ; 
has  he  been  distinguished  among  the  intemperate,  or 
frequenters  of  the  drinking  saloon,  or  grogery  !  At 
once  he  is  pushed  to  the  front,  constrained  to  tell 
his  sad  story  and  its  rejoiceful  sequel  to  the  thou¬ 
sands,  and  then  sent  into  the  field  to  imitate  the 
great  leader  in  urging  the  necessity  for,  and  value 
of,  Gospel  temperance. 

Often  men  have  signed  the  pledge,  and  then 
walked  away  from  philanthropic  workers,  as  if  all 
was  done  that  it  was  possible  for  them  to  do.  That 
act  ended,  the  signer  was  left  to  himself,  and  a 
world  of  snares  and  false  friends.  No  interest  was 
taken  in  them,  and  they  were  not  encouraged  to 
keep  their  solemn  pledge  by  subsequent  words  or 
efforts. 


20 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


Not  so,  is  Mr.  Murphy’s  work  done.  Men  are 
clothed,  fed,  employed,  encouraged,  and  drilled  to 
faithfulness.  Thus  appeal  after  appeal  has  been 
made  to  the  public.  The  leader  himself  has  gone 
to  private  homes  soliciting  apparel  for  his  converts. 
His  self-sacrificing  devotion  has  driven  home  to  the 
great  public  heart  the  fact  of  his  genuine  humani- 
tarianism ;  and  the  community  of  rum-venders  and 
rum-drinkers  have  silently  bowed  their  heads  before 
him. 

One  other  peculiarity  requires,  at  our  hands,  a  few 
reflections.  It  is  that  of  a  deep,  personal  experience. 
This  has  made  Mr.  Murphy  bold,  strong  and  shrewd. 
It  is  the  band  that  encircles  his  soul,  and  whatever 
of  gifts  and  graces  he  possesses.  He  was  saved  from 
a  terrible  end.  His  redemption  released  him  from 
the  worst  of  foes.  His  tender  nature  and  sympa¬ 
thies  were  caught  up  by  the  power  of  the  Holy 
Spirit.  His  prayers  carried  him  from  a  familiar 
degradation  to  peace  and  happiness  in  believing* 
His  very  cruelties  to  others,  especially  the  objects  of 
his  love,  brought  to  him  a  more  persistent  interest 
and  affection  in  their  behalf. 

Through  this  last  characteristic,  Mr.  Murphy 
stepped  out  not  only  upon  the  broad  platform,  and 
into  the  pure  air  of  universal  manhood,  but — as  by 
an  unseen  impetus — began  to  ascend  the  heights 
by  which  he  might  more  perfectly  measure  his 
privileges  and  opportunities,  and  from  which  he 
might  call  to  him  those  of  like  perils  and  misfor¬ 
tunes. 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


21 


CHAPTER  II. 

MR.  murphy’s  DIFFICULTIES. 

It  is  well  that  the  world  has  its  generous  and 
noble  natures  which  press  beyond  the  narrow  con¬ 
fines  of  the  cynics  and  fault-finders — a  class  seldom 
pleased  with  anything  unless  they  do  it  themselves, 
although  eager  to  enjoy  the  good  opinions  of  others. 
It  is  well  that  there  are  men  who  consider  and  re- 
inember  their  duty  to  God  and  humanity ;  who  are 
willing  to  be  held  up  to  the  contempt  of  some  so 
that  others  may  be  profited,  and  who  are  ready  to 
endure  as  good  soldiers,  for  the  honor  of  the  name  of 
Christ.  It  even  seems  well,  also,  that  there  are  at 
times  difficulties  before  such  valiant  defenders  of 
truth,  by  the  overcoming  of  which  we  are  led  to 
know  that  the  wisdom  of  man  is  as  foolishness 
before  Plim  who  gives  to  all  their  talents,  and  whose 
spiritual  gifts  and  blessings  are  greatly  above  the 
highest  advantages  of  a  carnal  nature. 

Thus  are  we  brought  to  ourselves.  Thus  does 
God  humble  the  lofty  and  instruct  the  despised. 
And  thus,  while  we  see  hundreds  of  the  most 
learned  and  skilled  from  distinguished  “  Alma 
Maters  ”  pass  through  lives  full  of  golden  opportu¬ 
nities,  without  acquiring  a  name  beyond  the  slender 
fields  of  their  professional  or  business  engagements, 
we  are  now  and  then  amazed  at  the  splendid  acts 
of  such  as  have  risen  from  obscurity  and  disadvan- 


22 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


tages — as  have  asked  no  mercy  of  the  proud  wave 
above  the  surface,  and  yet  transcended  them  all. 

Few  persons,  having  such  obstacles  before  them 
as  had  Francis  Murphy ,  ever  conceive  of,  or  attempt, 
great  popular  movements.  Fewer  still  meet  with 
any  respectable  success  in  the  attempts  made.  They 
who  succeed,  however — and  especially  who  do  so 
signally  and  continuously — must  he  great,  iind  them 
what  and  where  you  will.  God  reigns  among  men, 
and  no  one  can  accomplish  such  results,  unless  he  is 
a  chosen  vessel — having  the  peculiar  characteristics 
of  mind  and  soul  most  essential,  however  they  may 
be  hidden  from  human  ken. 

It  is  neither  an  easy  nor  common  thing  for  men, 
having  the  advantages  of  influence  and  education, 
to  rise  to  prominence  in  our  large  communities. 
But  for  men  to  come  from  the  depths  of  debauchery 
and  the  prison  house,  and  without  so  much  as  an 
ordinary  mental  outfit,  and  then  hew  their  way  up 
to  a  place  alongside  the  ablest  and  most  distin¬ 
guished  of  our  citizens,  is  truly  marvellous,  and 
demands  our  attention  and  respect. 

It  may  be  objected  by  some,  that  such  men  are  only 
great,  because  they  meet  the  tastes,  views,  feelings 
and  training  of  the  crowd.  Be  it  so.  The  most 
distinguished  of  our  countrymen,  generally,  in  ail 
departments  of  usefulness,  have  become  so  by  con¬ 
sulting  the  requirements  of  the  masses.  Great 
minds  must  bend  to  those  around  and  beneath  them, 
or  their  very  greatness  becomes  a  source  of  reproach. 
Truly  popular  men  are  more  surely  great  than  those 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


23 


who  despise  the  opinions  of  the  world,  simply  be¬ 
cause  of  a  consciousness  of  their  superior  personal 
attainments. 

There  is  a  greatness  that  the  schools  cannot  give 
— that  the  most  exquisite  preparation  cannot  pro¬ 
cure — and  that  rises  in  intrinsic  merit  and  import¬ 
ance  above  all  mind  culture.  It  is  born,  and  is 
somewhat  of  a  rare  production.  It  has  to  do  with 
the  soul. 

Education  might  have  raised  a  mind  and  soul 
like  Mr.  Murphy’s  high  up  among  the  people  with 
but  little  effort.  But  then  his  usefulness  might 
have  been  thwarted.  Difficulties  make  some  men 
all  the  greater — often  much  more  useful.  His 
strength  is  seen  more  prominently  in  the  indifference 
with  which  he  treats  the  very  qualification  held  to 
be  so  essential.  He  doubtless  knows  of  his  misfor¬ 
tune — if  such  it  be — perhaps,  feels  it  for  the  moment ; 
but  then  led,  as  by  a  superhuman  impulse,  and  a 
keen  appreciation  of  his  duty  in  behalf  of  suffering 
and  erring  humanity,  he  springs  forward,  appeals 
pointedly  to  men,  catches  their  ears,  wins  their 
hearts,  and  holds  them  till  he  slays  the  enemy  of 
their  souls;  and  then  anoints  and  bandages  them 
for  their  new  existence. 

The  questions  have  been  recently  asked,  “  Whether 
men,  having  little  more  than  dissolute  lives  to  com¬ 
mend  them  to  the  public,  are  the  proper  persons  to 
be  recognized  as  leaders  in  important  public  move¬ 
ments?  ” — “  Whether  wickedness  should  be  made  a 
vestibule  to  popularity  ?” — “  Whether  those  of  often- 


24 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


sive  antecedents  should  not  be  kept  upon  the  stool 
of  repentance  for  a  goodly  season,  and  held  at  a  dis¬ 
count  in  matters  of  general  interest?” 

In  answer  £o  such  inquiries,  we  scarcely  know 
what  to  say.  We  would  not  utter  anything  having 
the  appearance  of  unkindness  in  it.  And  yet  we 
feel  a  deep  sense  of  indignation  in  an  attempt  at 
their  consideration.  We  regard  them  as  an  im¬ 
peachment  of  the  common-sense  of  our  people  gener¬ 
ally.  Yea,  more! — they  seem  to  be  an  arraignment 
of  the  government  of  God  among  men  ! 

When  our  Lord  called  Saul,  the  “chief  of  sin¬ 
ners,”  He  did  no  more  than  He  is  doing  to-day,  both 
in  the  Church  and  out  of  it.  And  when  lie  does  so 
call,  shall  men  shake  their  heads  impiously  and  de¬ 
clare  that  wickedness  with  Jehovah  is  at  a  pre¬ 
mium  ? 

We  will  use  a  homely  illustration,  and  urge,  that 
there  are  very  many  tame  crows  sitting  cozily  and 
lazily  upon  the  fence,  which  are  only  innocent  of  the 
decaying  carcass  of  sin  because  it  did  not  lie  within 
easy  range  of  their  flight.  Perhaps  if  they  had 
tasted  it,  they  would  enjoy  more  of  active  useful¬ 
ness  ;  would  desert  their  complacent  and  self-import¬ 
ant  habits  ;  would  entertain  more  charitable  opinions 
of  the  world  around  them  ;  and  would  more  actively 
and  truthfully  engage  in  the  great  conflict  of  life. 
The  worst  sinners  have  been  made  so  by  the  very 
soul  qualities  that — once  subjected  to  the  light  and 
heat  of  God’s  Spirit — make  them  the  best  and  most 
noble  Christians. 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


25 


Again,  we  think  it  is  no  reflection  upon  the  edu¬ 
cational  interests  of  our  day  to  say  that  sound,  prac¬ 
tical  sense  flourishes  most  outside  the  range  of  our 
more  prominent  schools  of  learning.  Nor  do  we 
violate  the  sentiments  of  the  most  experienced  of 
intelligent  Christians,  when  we  say  that  about  the 
worst  men  in  the  Church  are  those  who  sit  in  judg¬ 
ment  over  others — following  simply  their  own  un¬ 
charitable  opinions,  and  seeking  to  punish  accord¬ 
ingly — taking  the  whole  business  out  of  the  hands 
of  Him  who  hath  said,  “  I  will  repay.” 

INFLUENCES  AGAINST  HIM. 

These  have  evidently  escaped  the  attention  of  Mr. 
Murphy.  From  remarks  recently  made  by  him,  it 
is  certain  that,  in  his  hurried  and  resistless  labors, 
he  has  not  seen  the  indifference  and  obstacles  set  up 
by  various  influences,  the  moral  support  of  which 
he  should  have  had. 

We  would  first  direct  attention,  under  this  cap¬ 
tion,  to  the  secular  press— that  most  notable  power 
in  the  direction  of  either  interesting  and  arousing 
the  people,  or  checking  and  neutralizing  public 
movements.  It  has  to  a  considerable  extent  exer¬ 
cised  remarkable  caution  in  this  entire  temperance 
warfare.  The  reasons  for  this  we  can  well  under¬ 
stand.  Its  interests  have  often  been  at  stake.  It 
has  perhaps  done  all  we  could  reasonably  expect. 
But  we  are  quite  sure  it  might  have  done  abun¬ 
dantly  more,  had  it  assumed  the  independence  char- 


26 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


acteristic  of  its  course  upon  many  other  subjects.  In 
numerous  instances  in  the  Middle,  as  also  in  the 
Eastern  and  Western  States,  it  has  yielded  its  favor 
grudgingly,  and  as  if  from  the  merest  compulsion. 
To  these,  of  course,  there  have  been  not  a  few 
honorable  exceptions.  We  know  of  none  which 
have  been  outspoken  in  their  opposition  ;  yet  many 
have  failed  in  any  moral  support. 

Mr.  Murphy  has  not  given  this  his  attention  as 
others  have  done.  And  he  has  been  sincere,  doubt¬ 
less,  in  his  declarations  that  the  newspapers  were 
able  to  render  him  helpless  at  any  time.  But  we 
cannot  for  a  moment  believe,  that  Francis  Murphy, 
in  the  hands  of  the  Blessed  Spirit  of  God,  could  be 
made  helpless,  although  the  combined  efforts  of 
newspaperdom  were  levelled  squarely  against  him. 
At  second  thought,  he  will  agree  with  us  in  this 
particular.  But  Mr.  Murphy  is  kind.  He  hits  at 
no  one  except  to  favor.  He  knows  the  power  of  the 
press,  and  is  even  grateful  for  its  silence,  where  it  has 
avoided  support.  But  there  are  thousands  through¬ 
out  our  nation  who  will  hear  of  the  kind  wTords 
of  the  orator  in  regard  to  the  press,  and  then  con¬ 
clude  that  he  said  all.  he  could  say  from  the  kindly 
swellings  ot  his  soul,  and  could  risk  little  or 
nothing  more. 

There  are  able  and  noble  men  in  the  great  editorial 
fraternity  of  our  country  ;  those  who  are  eager  to 
support  every  good  enterprise  ;  who  have  re¬ 
joiced  down  in  their  hearts  at  Mr. Murphy’s  success; 
and  who  doubtless  have  sympathetically  watched  the 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


2T 


tide  of  general  favor,  as  it  rose  up  wave  after  wave 
around  the  champion,  and  then  dashed  from  the 
centres  and  strongholds  of  the  movement  and  washed 
over  the  suburban,  and  more  remote  districts,  con¬ 
trolling-  and  converting-  thousands.  Some  of  them 
have  given  full  reports  at  times,  and  uttered 
no  word  of  disfavor.  But  in  numerous  instances, 
it  is  commonly  reported  and  accepted  among  the 
people,  their  influence  has  not  been  what  might  and 
should  have  been. 

In  addition  to  this,  some  influential  religious  news¬ 
papers,  in  various  parts,  have  thus  far  largely  failed 
in  their  support  of  Mr.  Murphy.  What  shall  we  say 
of  these,  after  the  foregoing  remarks  ?  If  the  secular 
press  has  been  at  fault,  what  have  the  Church  papers 
not  done,  which,  by  their  silence  or  covert  thrusts, 
have  been  in  the  way  of  the  good  work  ?  They  seem 
to  have  forgotten  that  Temperance  and  Christianity 
are  ot  the  same  household — having  the  same  Author, 
and  Father,  and  divine  relationship  ;  that  they  live 
and  labor  together  ;  that  they  are  united  by  indis¬ 
soluble  ties,  upon  which  their  lives  equally  depend; 
that  unitedly  they  go  out  upon  the  great  mission  of 
alleviating  human  misery ;  that  they  are  heaven- 
appointed,  and  Jehovah-instructed,  for  the  lifting  up 
and  sundering  of  the  network  of  sin  ;  and  that 
with  the  trials  and  misfortunes  of  one,  come  suffer¬ 
ing  and  confusion  to  the  other.  They  are  both  as 
needful  to  the  success  of  every  Christian  Church,  of 
whatever  name,  as  air  and  water  are  to  the  susten¬ 
ance  of  the  human  body. 


•28 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


The  Ministry  in  oar  cities  has  done  good  service  by 
taking  Mr.  Murphy  and  his  converts  by  the  hand, 
and  giving  them  countenance  and  support.  The 
leader  has  invoked  the  help  of  the  watchmen  in  Zion, 
and  has  received  it.  Ilis  gratitude  therefor  has  been 
unbounded.  Yet  there  are  those  who  have  antago¬ 
nized  him  in  his  great  work.  What  their  reasons 
for  such  a  course  have  been,  we  cannot  understand. 
Evidently  they  have  seen  that  the  power  of  the 
Almighty  is  freely  on  the  side  of  a  weak  vessel — one 
heretofore  full  of  ignorance  and  sin.  Because,  perhaps 
they  are  unable  to  shut  their  eyes  to  this  last  feature, 
they  forsooth  resist  Him  by  whom  all  victory  is  as¬ 
sured.  They  appear  to  turn  away  from  every  true 
and  just  impulse  of  a  religious  nature,  and  shield 
themselves  behind  the  false  dispositions  and  tastes 
of  a  depraved  and  flimsy  social  world. 

A  WARNING. 

A  few  sentences  may  well  be  employed  here  as 
notes  ot  warning  to  such  of  the  ministry  as  hold  in 
disfavor  the  Murphy  enterprise.  For  years,  not  a 
few  o£  our  churches  have  become  cold  and  negligent 
of  the  more  responsible  duties  resting  upon  them. 
Thus,  in  our  large  cities  and  throughout  the  land, 
the  Standard  of  Christ  has  frequently  been  lowered 
under  a  system  of  theological  training,  recognizing 
more  the  doctrines  of  men — and  the  need  of  a  suc¬ 
cessful  defence  of  views,  involving  the  peculiar 
tenets  of  certain  religious  systems — than  the  high 


i 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


29' 


and  holy  doctrines  of  God.  We  have  watched  the 
conflict  for  some  time  between  human  philosophy, 
and  the  wisdom  of  the  Divine  Spirit.  Logic,  con¬ 
troversy  and  schemes  have  resulted  freely  from  our 
late  methods  of  seminary  training,  while  the  unction 
from  above — so  all-essential  to  true  Christianity — 
has  been  neglected 

Under  such  circumstances,  God  calls  from  the 
ranks  of  the  debauched  and  uneducated,  the  men 
who,  through  His  power,  accomplish  as  much  in  a 
few  short  months,  as  professedly  able  ministers  do  in 
a  life-time.  Evangelists,  brought  up  under  the  raya 
of  the  eternal  sun,  are  suddenly  sent  out.  They 
charm  and  electrify  the  people,  and  reflect  the  truths 
of  the  gospel  abroad  into  their  hearts.  They  become 
the  whips  in  the  hands  of  God,  by  which  the  Churches 
are  punished, — or,  rather,  the  goads  by  which  the 
organized  and  regular  means  of  salvation  are  incited 
to  better  and  greater  efforts.  Therefore,  it  is  not 
becoming  or  wise  for  those  in  the  pulpit  to  question, 
criticise  and  deny  the  correctness  and  expediency  of 
such  labors  as  have  recently  startled  us 

We  recognize  all  good  as  from  God,  and  especially 
the  kind  that  carries  the  Gospel  to  the  crowds,  and 
Christ  to  the  hearts  of  the  people.  The  feeble  and 
foolish  declaration  so  frequently  put  forth,  that 
there  is  no  permanence  to  such  efforts  as  have  dis¬ 
tinguished  Mr.  Murphy  and  his  co-laborers  is  not 
only  erroneous  and  evil  in  effect,  but  contrary  to  the 
spirit  of  the  Gospel.  It  is  ours  to  do  all  we  can  for 
the  common  good — to  preach  all  of  the  truth — to 


30 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


lose  no  opportunity  of  conferring  blessing  upon  every 
condition  and  degree  of  sinners.  Even  the  method 
is,  we  apprehend,  of  minor  consequence — so  that  we 
violate  no  plain  law  of  Scripture.  God  will  take 
care  of  the  balance.  If  we,  in  good  faith,  save  men 
for  a  season  from  sin,  it  will  secure  us  as  much  re¬ 
ward,  as  if  the  dews  of  God’s  grace,  and  the  Sun  of 
the  inner  heavens  had  watered  and  warmed  them  all 
through  life.  It  is  not  ours  to  consider  the  perma¬ 
nence  of  the  thing,  or  to  sit  in  judgment  over  times 
and  circumstances  which  have  not  transpired,  any 
more  than  it  is  right  for  the  farmer  to  refuse  to  put 
his  crops  into  the  earth  because  he  believes  there 
will  be  a  plague  or  a  drought.  We"  are  commanded 
to  plough,  sow  and  water.  We  are  to  leave  the  in¬ 
crease  with  God.  The  duty — the  labor — belongs  to 
man  ;  the  result  belongs  solely  to  Him  who  knoweth 
all  things,  and  whose  wisdom  in  not  given  to  another. 


CHAPTER  III. 

PREVIOUS  TEMPERANCE  MOVEMENTS. 

Before  considering  the  Gospel  Temperance  Plan 
of  Mr.  Murphy,  it  may  be  well — for  the  information 
of  the  reader — at  this  point,  to  consider,  as  succinctly 
as  possible,  the  history  of  the  various  temperance 
movements  in  our  own  country. 

In  the  year  1651,  by  direction  of  a  public  meeting, 
the  town  of  East  Hampton,  L.  I.,  arranged  itself 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE, 


31 


against  drunkenness,  and  a  little  later  limited  the 
amount  of  liquor  to  be  sold.  In  1676  the  Legislature 
of  the  State  of  Virginia  passed  a  prohibitory  act. 
In  1700 -steps  were  taken  at  different  points  against 
the  use  of  liquor  at  funerals.  In  1777  the  Conti¬ 
nental  Congress  urged  upon  the  State  Governments 
the  prevention  of  “  the  pernicious  practice  of  distill¬ 
ing  grain.”  In  1789  the  first  temperance  society 
was  formed  in  Litchfield  Co.,  Conn.  In  1794  Dr. 
Rush  advocated  total  abstinence.  In  1797  a  relig¬ 
ious  opposition  to  the  use  of  liquors  made  its 
appearance  among  the  Methodists,  Presbyterians  and 
other  sects.  In  1805  the  Philadelphia  paper  makers 
formed  a  temperance  association.  In  1808,  on  ac¬ 
count  of  the  alarming  increase  of  drunkenness,  a 
Union  Temperance  Organization  was  effected  in  New 
York.  In  1811  reform  began  in  Philadelphia.  In 
1813  was  organized  the  Massachusetts  Society  for 
the  Prevention  of  Intemperance.  In  1825,  the  ad¬ 
vocacy  of  total  abstinence  again  became  somewhat 
formidable.  In  1826  the  American  Temperance 
Society  of  Boston  was  organized  ;  shortly  after 
which  societies  sprung  up  everywhere  throughout 
the  country.  In  1827  medical  societies  declared 
against  liquors  ;  religious  assemblies  declaimed 
against  them  ;  and  prominent  advocates  of  total 
abstinence  appeared.  Before  the  close  of  1827  two 
hundred  and  twenty-two  societies  were  formed, 
having  thirty  thousand  members.  In  1829  one 
thousand  societies  existed,  and  one  hundred  thou¬ 
sand  men  were  pledged  against  liquors.  In  1831 


32 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


there  were  twenty- two  hundred  local  societies  and 
one  hundred  and  seventy  thousand  members,  and 
the  question  of  license  was  pressed  to  the  ballot.  In 
1832  the  Secretaries  of  War  and  the  Navy  of  the 
United  States  substituted  coffee  and  sugar  for  liquors 
in  the  forts,  camps,  garrisons,  navy  yards  and  ves¬ 
sels.  In  1833  meetings  were  general  ;  the  first 
regular  total  abstinence  society  was  formed  ;  a  Con¬ 
gressional  Society  was  organized,  with  General  Cass 
as  president ;  and  the  number  of  societies  had  in¬ 
creased  to  five  thousand  having  a  membership  of 
one  and  a  quarter  million.  In  this  year,  also,  the 
first  National  Temperance  Society  meeting  was  held 
at  Independence  Hall,  in  Philadelphia.  In  1834  the 
General  Government  sanctioned  prohibition.  In 

1837  a  prohibitory  law  was  offered  and  defeated  in 
Maine,  and  Neal  Dow  began  to  be  conspicuous.  In 

1838  several  States  passed  stringent  liquor  laws.  In 

1839  Mississippi  passed  a  44  one  gallon  law,”  and  Illi¬ 
nois  a  local  option  bill.  This  year  news  of  the 
work  of  Father  Mathew  in  Ireland,  reached  our 
country  and  caused  great  rejoicing  among  temper¬ 
ance  people.  On  J uly  4th,  Boston  held  a  Cold  Water 
Jubilee.  In  1840  six  inebriates  inaugurated  44  The 
Washingtonians  ”  in  Baltimore.  The  effect  of  this 
society  was  marvellous.  Reformed  men  arose  every¬ 
where.  Two  of  these  visited  various  States  and 
obtained  thirty-four  thousand  signatures.  The  sup¬ 
position  is  that  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand 
pledges  were  obtained  from  this  movement. 

A  great  work  began  in  1842,  in  the  organization 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


33 


of  the  Sons  of  Temperance,  the  influence  and  power 
of  which  has  continued  until  the  present.  In  addi¬ 
tion  to  this  the  Order  of  Rechabites  was  introduced 
Irom  England,  and  gained  considerable  favor.  John 
B.  Gough,  the  eloquent,  began  his  labors  of  reform 
also  during  this  year.  In  1845  the  Templar  Society 
began  its  existence.  In  1846  Maine  secured  a  pro¬ 
hibitory  law.  During  this  year  the  Order  of  Cadets 
of  Temperance  was  originated,  and  was  followed 
by  the  Good  Samaritans  in  New  York.  In  1848 
New  Hampshire  and  other  States  obtained  prohibi¬ 
tion.  In  1849  Father  Mathew  landed  in  New  York, 
through  whom  was  founded  the  present  Total 
Abstinence  Brotherhood.  In  1852  the  Maine  law 
had  its  birth.  In  1853,  a  World’s  Temperance  Con¬ 
vention  was  held  in  New  York.  In  1856  the 
American  Juvenile  Temperance  Society  was  formed. 
In  1859,  the  total  abstinence  society,  called  the 
u  Dashaways,”  was  organized  by  four  young  men  in 
San  Francisco.  In  1860  the  Temperance  Flying 
Artillery  was  instituted  in  Chicago.  In  1865  the 
National  Temperance  Society  was  begun,  with  Hon. 
W.  E.  Dodge  as  president.  In  the  same  year,  the  Cali¬ 
fornia  Temperance  Legion,  and  Maryland  Absti¬ 
nence  League  appeared,  and  Congress  excluded 
liquor  from  the  capitol  and  grounds.  In  1866  the 
Pennsylvania  State  Temperance  Union  was  started. 
In  1868  the  Friends  of  Temperance  was  begun  in 
Virginia.  During  the  same  year  the  Young  Men’s 
Christian  Association  became  first  identified  with 
the  temperance  movement.  In  1869  the  Ladies 

3 


84 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


Reform  was  organized  in  Ohio.  In  1871  Total  Ab¬ 
stinence  Catholic  Societies  were  formed.  In  1873 
the  Women’s  Crusade  in  the  West  came  into  promi¬ 
nence,  and  soon  developed  into  the  Women’s  Chris¬ 
tian  Temperance  Union.  In  1875  two  National 
Temperance  Conventions  met  and  effected  consid¬ 
erable  legislation.  In  1876,  at  Independence  Hall, 
a  grand  International  Temperance  Convention  was 
held.  Since  this,  and  especially  during  the  present 
year,  much  has  been  done  through  the  evangelistic 
efforts  of  D.  L.  Moody  and  others.  But  nothing 
approximating  to  the  present  movement  has  ever 
transpired  in  this,  or,  perhaps,  any  other  country. 

DIFFERENT  OPINIONS  CURRENT. 

The  Murphy  plan  is  a  new  one — not  theoretically, 
or  even,  perhaps,  practically,  but — in  its  arrange¬ 
ment,  methods  and  scope.  Heretofore,  the  alarming 
increase  of  intemperance,  debauchery  and  crime  has 
given  rise  to  much  of  serious  thought  and  effort  on 
the  part  of  prominent  Christians  and  Philanthropists. 
No  stone  has  been  left  unturned  in  the  search  for  a 
remedy  ;  no  expenditure  of  treasure  spared  in  at¬ 
tempts  to  shield  the  weak  and  helpless  ;  no  influences 
withheld  from  the  devotee  of  the  poisoned  chalice 
looking  to  his  liberation  from  the  fangs  of  the  ser¬ 
pent  within  it.  There  has  been  much  of  anxiety, 
counselling,  and  debate,  as  well  as  labor.  And,  as 
any  one  would  readily  conclude,  there  has  been  an 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


35 


endless  variety  of  opinions  as  to  the  most  proper 
and  effectual  course  to  pursue. 

On  the  part  of  a  great  number  of  persons,  legal 
enactments  are  the  only  hope  for  any  permanent  or 
thorough  success.  The  infliction  of  severe  penalties 
upon  all  who  become  intoxicated  is  esteemed  by 
them  the  sure  way  to  an  abandonment  of  the  evil. 
Having  failed  to  overcome  the  great  combinations 
formed  by  men  who  traffic  in  alcoholic  and  malt 
liquors — and  in  wretched,  undone  souls — and  fear¬ 
ing  any  further  attempts  against  those  of  the  a first 
cause/'  in  this  national  evil,  as  fruitless,  on  account 
of  the  support  and  protection  secured  by  legislation 
—they  have  turned  upon  the  poor  creature  of  his 
appetite,  and  would  add  inhumanity  to  misery ;  in 
other  words,  using  the  legal  phrase,  they  would 
liberate  “  the  party  of  the  first  part,"  on  account  of 
his  strength  of  purse,  and  his  hold  upon  the  good¬ 
will  of  the  crowd,  and  visit  his  act  upon  one  who  is 
scarcely  a  “  particeps  criminis  ” — but  little  more 
than  a  poor  dupe.  In  a  word,  they  would  kill  the 
tree  by  lopping  oft'  its  outer  twigs. 

Many  others  would  go  further  and  deeper,  in  their 
onslaughts  upon  the  evil,  and  would  cut  at  the  trunk 
of  the  tree,  and,  if  possible,  sever  it  from  its  roots. 
They  would  war  against  the  tavern  and  saloon 
keepers,  and,  through  ceaseless  struggling  at  the 
ballot-box,  and  with  our  law  makers — securing  most 
stringent  limitations  and  barriers,  or,  further  still,  a 
prohibitory  law — would  annihilate  the  u  middle¬ 
man. Their  purposes  transpired  in  the  Murphy 


36 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


awakening,  and  have  fairly  come  to  the  surface  at 
this  stage  of  the  movement.  They  denounce  the 
seller,  as  a  blot  upon  society’s  face,  a  moral  leper  in 
the  community,  a  disgrace  to  our  age,  and  as  one  of 
the  worst,  and  most  to  be  despised  of  men. 

Between  these  warriors  in  the  cause  of  prohibi¬ 
tion,  and  Mr.  Murphy,  there  is  considerable  vari¬ 
ance,  if  not  dissension.  Mr.  Murphy  claims — and 
he  speaks  from  his  own  experience — that  there  are 
thousands  of  men  in  the  liquor  business  who  have 
engaged  in  it  because  of  a  seeming  necessity  ;  that 
they  have  good  heads  and  hearts  ;  that  they  are 
capable  of  becoming  ornaments  among  men  ;  that 
they  are  not  degraded  down  in  their  souls  ;  and 
that  they  are  no  little  sinned  against  in  having  hurled 
at  them  the  opprobrious  epithets  of  prohibitionists. 

Therefore,  while  the  one  side  would  resort  to  un¬ 
relenting  and  vigilant  legal  means,  the  other  would 
take  the  purest  and  broadest  spirit  of  our  Christian 
religion,  and  aim  at  the  convictions.  The  prohibi¬ 
tionists  carry  in  their  hands  the  law.  Mr.  Murphy — 
disgusted  with  the  moral  faithlessness  and  pusil¬ 
lanimity  of  law  makers — has  seized  upon  the 
Gospel.  Of  course,  our  sympathies  are  with  Mr. 
Murphy.  We  believe — yea,  we  know,  from  no 
little  of  association  with  Christians — that  when  the 
law  fails,  the  Gospel  most  effectually  triumphs. 

We  cannot  agree  to  the  assertion  that  all  who 
traffic  in  liquors,  are  the  worst  and  most  despicable 
of  men.  Their  business  is  enormously  wicked, 
doubtlessly,  on  account  of  many  things  belong- 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


37 


ing  to,  and  growing  out  of  it.  But  the  dealer 
does  not  so  regard  it,  and  is  often  blind  to  the 
injury  he  does  to  the  cause  of  God  and  of 
humanity.  He  often  does  not  see  the  terrors  of 
drunkenness,  as  they  appear  in  the  lives  and  the 
families  of  his  customers,  and  even  in  the  prison- 
homes  of  his  victims — unless,  indeed,  he  becomes 
the  victim  himself.  This  was  the  case  with  Mr. 
Murphy.  Then,  when  he  accidentally  awakens  to 
his  true  situation,  he  is  appalled  ;  his  soul  is  stirred; 
he  abhors  the  life  consequent  upon  his  nefarious 
pursuit ;  he  catches  at  new  desires  ;  he  seeks  the 
only  guidance  known  to  man,  and  humbly  falls 
dpwn  before  God.  Thus  it  was,  also,  with  Mr.  Mur¬ 
phy.  And  before  the  orohibition  school  can  fasten 
upon  the  average  Christian  heart  its  views  and 
claims,  and  make  believe  that  the  liquor  venders 
are  a  worthless,  God-forsaken  body,  they  must  hide 
away  the  double  character  of  Francis  Murphy,  the 
liquor-seller,  drunkard,  and  prisoner,  and  Francis 
Murphy,  the  hero  and  champion  of  the  grandest  tem¬ 
perance  reform  that  has  ever  visited  the  centuries. 

Far  be  it  from  us  to  attempt  to  elevate  the  busi¬ 
ness  of  the  men  who  contribute  more  than  all  others 
to  the  misery  of  our  race.  We  could  not  do  it,  and 
would  flee  the  very  thought.  But  it  is  always  God¬ 
like  to  elevate  men.  It  is  well  to  degrade  the  thing 
that  is  evil ;  it  is  error  to  degrade  the  men  that  do 
evil.  Lift  up  Christ  in  all  things  ;  and  in  obedience 
to  Ilis  plain  teachings,  do  good  to  all  men.  Never 
hate,  despise  or  condemn,  while  the  blood  of  the 


88 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


atonement  is  sufficient  to  make  as  pure  as  wool  the 
crimson-dyed  sinner. 

AT  THE  ROOTS. 

There  is  yet  one  other  class  of  temperance  men. 
They  maintain  that  it  is  necessary  for  us  to  go  be¬ 
yond  both  twigs  and  branches  and  trunk,  and  dig: 
out  the  whole  tree — roots  and  all.  They  object  not 
only  to  the  license  system  in  toto ,  but  are  opposed  to 
the  distillation  and  brewing  of  liquors,  and  would 
have  severe  measures  against  their  manufacture. 
That  this  is  striking  at  the  roots  of  the  evil,  none 
will  question.  But  effort  in  this  direction,  under 
our  present  system  of  government,  would  seem  like 
endeavoring  to  dry  up  the  sea  by  drainage.  Our 
legislators  are.  to  a  considerable  extent,  not  only 
patrons  of  the  tavern-keepers,  but  dependent  upon 
their  favor  for  a  continuance  in  office.  They  know — 
many  of  them — that  if  it  were  not  for  the  interests 
of  rum  they  would  never  be  allowed  to  fill  their 
positions  ;  that  it  is  by  the  way  of  the  bar,  and  the 
toddy,  they  have  come — and  that  everything  aimed 
at  these  is,  to  them,  a  deeply  personal  affair.  How 
can  they  break  faith  with  their  only  friends?  We 
can  understand  how  this  would  be  suicide  with  them, 
although  they  fail  to  see  how  the  suicide  would  be  a 
great  blessing  to  the  public. 

In  this  connection,  we  cannot  but  remark  that 
the  present  method  of  holding  elections,  in  many 
of  our  cities  and  populous  districts,  at  hotels,  tav- 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


39 


erns  and  little  groggeries,  is  an  outrage  upon  Chris¬ 
tianity  and  morality.  We  care  little  for  the  plea 
that  our  laws  require  such  places  to  be  closed  on 
election  day.  The  compromise  is  perhaps  an  im¬ 
provement  upon  the  old  system,  but  is  only  a  slight 
concession  on  the  side  of  the  evil.  What  was  done 
publicly  is  now  only  done  privately.  No  amount  of 
excuse  can  justify  it  in  a  single  instance.  It  would 
be  more  profitable  to  the  tax-payer  either  to  have 
small  buildings  erected  for  the  purpose,  or  to  remun¬ 
erate  families,  having  reputation  for  temperance, 
for  the  use  of  their  homes,  than  to  continue  a  means 
by  which  the  friends  of  intemperance  obtain  domi¬ 
nance  in  local  government.  Tor  we  remember  that 
these  make  fifty  per  cent,  of  our  insane — sixty-five 
per  cent,  of  our  paupers — seventv-five  per  cent,  of 
our  murders — eighty  per  cent,  of  our  criminals — 
ninety-five  per  cent,  of  our  vicious  youth — and  send 
one  every  six  minutes  into  a  drunkard’s  grave,  or 
nearly  one  hundred  thousand  precious  souls  a  year! 

How  shameful,  then,  that  our  ballot-boxes — 
designed  to  be  kept  sacredly  pure — are  frequently 
placed  in  the  houses  whence  vice,  corruption  and 
drunkenness  proceed — where  the  fiery  fluid  that 
steals  away  reason  is  freely  dispensed — where  the 
most  profligate  and  malicious  in  the  community 
spend  their  hours — and  where  there  is  every  incite¬ 
ment  to  fraud,  riot  and  murder.  And  to  such 
points  Christian  Ministers,  and  all  honest  and  good 
citizens  are  compelled  to  go,  if  they  would  exercise 
the  right  and  duty  of  franchise!  Compelled  to 


40 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


breathe  an  air  vitiated  by  the  peculiar  odor  of  the 
still  product,  as  well  as  by  the  many  hot  breaths, 
alike  poisoned  by  rum,  cheap  tobacco  and  profanity. 

We  fancy  it  would  be  prudent  for  the  intelligent, 
women  of  our  land  to  operate  loudly  and  boldly 
against  this  evil,  in  view  of  its  possible  effect  upon 
their  fathers,  husbands  and  brothers — before  seeking 
to  tread  themselves — with  ballot  in  hand — the  mis¬ 
erable  purlieus  of  the  spots  where  revelry  is  most 
unblushing  and  degenerate. 

How  can  it  be  otherwise  than  that  liquor  dealers 
and  their  friends  should  feel  themselves  to  be  the 
true  custodians  of  the  voice  and  will  of  the  people, 
■while  such  things  are  permitted  to  continue  ?  How 
can  we  be  surprised  at  the  power  of  rum  in  our 
midst,  and  the  inability  of  men  to  overcome  the 
influence  of  organized  distillers,  when  our  highest 
privileges  as  citizens  are  at  the  mercy  of  the  retailers 
of  the  fiery  stuff  ?  How  can  we  expect  anything 
else  than  legislators,  councilmen,  and  aldermen  and 
magistrates  of  corrupt  and  bacchanalian  sympathies 
and  tendencies  ? 

By  all  means,  then,  let  the  influential  classes 
who  are  opposed,  both  to  the  license  system  and  the 
manufacture  of  liquors,  go  consistently  to  work,  and 
strive  for  a  divorce  of  rum  and  the  ballot-box, 
before  looking  to  the  offspring  of  these — our  legis¬ 
lators — for  a  destruction  of  the  foundation  of  the 
whole  fabric  of  King  Alcohol.  They  have  been  try¬ 
ing  to  legislate  against  the  distiller  and  dealer  for 
over  half  a  century  and  have  steadily  failed.  More 


41 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 

rum  is  consumed  in  our  country  now  than  ever 
before.  Perhaps,  if  these  extremists  had  pursued  the 
course  referred  to,  their  cause  might  have  been  victo¬ 
rious  long  since. 

All  parties  holding  to  the  various  opinions  consid¬ 
ered  have  done  something  of  good — must  have  con¬ 
tributed  somewhat  to  the  success  of  sobriety  among 
us.  But  they  have  fallen  short,  doubtless,  of  their 
ability  in  the  premises.  Not  a  few,  of  our  wisest 
and  clearest  thinkers,  have  admitted  that  none 
have  proven  themselves  equal  to  the  demands  of  our 
times. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 

Mr.  Murphy  has  been  thoroughly  convinced  of 
the  weakness  and  ineffectualness  of  the  methods 
heretofore  resorted  to.  Another  must  be  sought. 
He,  himself,  had  failed  of  reformation  before  in¬ 
voking  the  aid  of  Divine  power.  Herein  was  the 
successful  way.  It  was  the  true  path  to  him,  and 
would  surely  be  to  everyone.  He  had  not  the 
strength  of  himself,  but  God  gave  him  freely  of 
grace,  and  he  was  thoroughly  brought  to  hate  the 
beastly  liquid  he  once  loved.  This  must  be  made 
plain  to  others.  His  way  was  not  open  to  the 
pulpit,  but  he  could  go  upon  the  rostrum  and  ap- 


42 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


peal  to  his  fellow-man.  He  could  take  his  own 
simple  narrative  of  wretchedness  and  crime,  and  of 
his  final  salvation  at  the  foot  of  the  Cross.  This  he 
would  do.  The  Gospel  of  the  Son  of  God  had 
brought  him  to  temperance  and  peace,  and  now  he 
would  lift  up  a  banner  that  he  well  knew  would 
save  to  the  uttermost — that  of  Gospel  Temperance. 

Counselling  the  erring — appealing  to  whatever  of 
manhood  remained,  inducing  them  to  sign  the 
pledge,  assuring  them  of  all  needful  support  from 
Jehovah,  pointing  them  to  the  wide  mercies  of  a 
present  Saviour,  and  turning  their  attention  to  a 
life  of  prayer  and  faith — would  be  the  effort  of  his 
life,  and  would  necessarily  have  triumph. 

God  would  thus  not  only  enable  the  individual 
convert  to  stand  above  his  appetite,  but  would  also 
give  encouragement  and  power  to  every  means  put 
forth  for  the  rescue  of  others — in  a  word,  would  fill 
the  cause  with  His  presence  and  blessing.  Thus  he 
might  become  an  instrument  of  great  good  ;  per¬ 
haps,  be  made  a  power  against  evil ;  might  gather 
into  a  new  plan  of  reform  the  masses  in  the  com¬ 
munity  ;  and  might  make,  through  love  and  kind¬ 
ness,  to  the  living,  active  souls  within  the  grasp  of 
Satan,  their  wicked  practices  and  avocation  more 
unpopular  and  offensive  than  ever. 

The  resolution  was  taken.  His  family  were  in¬ 
formed  of  it.  He  plainly  and  in  brief  sentences  re¬ 
vealed  to  them  the  thoughts  of  his  mind  and  desires 
of  his  soul ;  and  they  could  not  but  acquiesce  in  the 
generous  and  noble  purposes,  so  new  and  strange 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


43 


were  they  to  all  they  had  previously  experieDced. 
His  soul  was  evidently  on  fire — for  his  language  had 
become  thoroughly  warmed — and  his  tones  and 
earnestness  reached  their  hearts.  They  fell  in  freely 
with  his  sentences  of  irresistible  eloquence.  The 
giant  was  rising  to  his  task. 

Thus  the  temperance  of  Mr.  Murphy  was  of  the 
Spirit.  When  a  man  becomes  a  sincere  Christian, 
he  is  alive  to  the  importance  of  having  others  accept 
his  Saviour ;  he  has  a  huno;erin£  for  souls.  The 
reformation  of  this  man  was  complete,  being  accom¬ 
plished  through  the  Gospel.  The  Lord  had  revealed 
Himself  to  him  in  this  way.  He  desired  to  know  or 
teach  no  other  method. 

And  Mr.  Murphy  has  been  consistent  throughout. 
He  has  encountered  strong  and  able  advocates  of 
other  methods,  but  he  has  successfully  withstood 
all  their  views,  prejudices  and  influences.  He  ad¬ 
heres  to  the  one  plan.  He  will  follow  it  against  all 
opposition.  He  regards  it  as  the  true  path — the 
Lord’s  way — and  it  were  violence  and  crime  to  leave 
it.  More  than  this,  he  is  conscious  that  he  has  the 
Divine  help,  while  faithful  to  it,  and  believes 
that  his  success  would  cease  were  he  to  forsake  it. 
In  this  he  is  wise,  as  the  history  of  all  other  plans 
abundantly  shows. 

When  the  Washingtonians  came  into  existence, 
in  1840,  multitudes  gathered  around  them.  In  a 
short  time  they  numbered  two  hundred  and  fifty 
thousand.  The  country  was  largely  influenced  by  the 
movement.  Christians  were  deeply  interested  in  its 


44 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


behalf,  and  the  aisles  and  vestibules  of  Houses  of 
Worship,  as  well  as  the  street  corners  and  all 
gathering  places,  were  the  scenes  of  animated  con¬ 
verse  and  jubilant  demonstrations.  The  Spirit  of 
the  Almighty  was  plainly  seen  in  the  work.  The 
effect  upon  the  whole  public  mind  was  unmistak¬ 
able.  The  Church  approached  the  great  work. 

But,  at  this  juncture,  the  members  of  the  organ¬ 
ization  became  narrowed  through  regarding  man, 
and  his  extended  labors,  and  forgetting  God.  Thus, 
speedily  the  Gospel  was  separated  from  the.  move¬ 
ment,  in  deference  to  those  who  were  unchristian  in 
their  views.  The  Bible,  the  Cross  and  Prayer  were 
ignored.  Then  came  a  sudden  and  inglorious  fail¬ 
ure.  This  result  has  attended  a  similar  proceedure 
in  a  lesser  degree,  in  various  other  attempts.  And 
we  believe  that  discomfiture  must  quickly  come  in 
all  instances  in  which  the  power  is  other  than  of 
God.  The  will  of  man  is  weak  in  itself.  His  pledge 
is  not  sure.  If  he  fails  to  look  up  to  the  only 
Helper,  he  will  surely  be  brought  to  shame,  if  not 
to  the  complete  power  of  the  enemy. 

OPPOSITION  OF  CHRISTIANS. 

There  is  a  circumstance  in  connection  with  Gospel 
Temperance  to  which  we  believe  it  necessary  to 
allude.  It  is  in  the  fact  that  it  is  opposed  by  some 
who  are  confessedly  Christians,  and  members  of 
orthodox  churches.  This  appears  to  us,  at  a  glance, 
as  unaccountably  strange. 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


45 


It  is  evident  that  the  G-ospel  is  of  God ;  that  it 
reveals  the  mind  and  will  of  our  Creator ;  and  that 
it  is  good  and  true,  though  everything  else  be  false. 
What  objection,  then,  can  a  consistent  believer  offer 
to  Gospel  Temperance?  If  Gospel  teachings  are 
right,  why  not  its  Temperance  ? 

THE  TERM  AS  USED  BY  MR.  MURPHY. 

“  But,”  says  the  objector,  “  we  do  not  object  to 
Gospel  Temperance — only  to  the  term  as  used  by 
the  Murphy  school.  In  their  hands  it  is  a  mis¬ 
nomer.  We  believe  the  Gospel  way  to  be  the  True 
Path — but  we  cannot  accept  the  Murphy  abstinence 
way  as  such.” 

How,  let  us  frankly  look  at  these  objections.  The 
Gospel  of  Christ  enjoins  temperance.  Here  none 
will  dissent.  Temperance  in  all  things  is  needful. 
But  it  goes  further  than  this.  It  enforces,  at  times, 
abstinence.  It  requires  of  us  that  we  be  absolutely 
separated  from  anything  by  which  we  cause  a 
brother  to  offend.  When  we,  therefore,  do  that 
which  leads  another  to  sin,  we  are  far  from  ex¬ 
cusable.  In  such  case,  if  we  simply  taste,  we  are 
intemperate.  The  Gospel  shows  us  that  not  only 
is  the  excess  or  abuse  of  many  things  intemperance, 
but  also  the  very  use  by  which  wTe  cause  stumbling. 
For  this  reason  Paul  declares  that  if  the  use  of  meat 
causes  his  brother  to  offend,  then  will  he  never  eat 
it.  Therefore,  we  affirm  that  the  sin  is  not  in  the 
thing  itself,  it  is  simply  in  its  injury  to  ourselves 
and  others. 


46 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


We  are  morally  and  religiously  bound  to  conform 
to  the  things  that  are  most  expedient,  both  for  our¬ 
selves  and  others.  To  nothing  will  this  question 
of  expediency  more  fully  and  potently  apply  than 
to  temperance.  Strong  drink  is  the  bane  of  our 
country  ;  is  carrying  our  young  men  of  best  promise 
by  thousands  into  the  ranks  of  sin,  that  they  may  be 
hurried  beyond  the  reach  of  truth  as  effectually  as 
was  Uriah  put  away  at  the  command  of  his  un¬ 
faithful  king.  All  believers  are  especially  subject 
to  the  restraint  imposed  by  the  Gospel — which  but 
reflects  the  safeguards  enjoined  in  even  the  Old  Dis¬ 
pensation.  The  whole  law  is  clear  authority  for  a 
total  separation  from  intoxicating  beverages,  and  re¬ 
veals  to  us  the  important  truth  that  there  is  greater 
need  of  special  efforts  against  intemperance  than 
nearly  all  other  sins. 

Individual  rights  cease  to  be  such  the  moment 
they  ignore  the  rights  of  others.  The  net-work  of 
society  is  as  thoroughly  interwoven  and  identical  as 
that  of  a  great  seine,  which,  when  there  is  a  single 
rent  anywhere,  is  more  or  less  impaired ;  or,  is  as 
sympathetic  in  its  structure  as  the  human  body, 
which,  when  injured  in  any  part,  is  made  to  suffer 
as  a  whole.  Therefore  the  entire  body  of  society,  in 
view  of  the  blighting  effects  of  intemperance,  and 
the  highly  inebriating  properties  of  modern  drinks, 
has  the  highest  and  most  sacred  reasons  for  requir¬ 
ing  a  strict  enforcement  of  the  abstinence  features 
of  Mr.  Murphy’s  Gospel  Temperance. 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


47 


EXAMPLE  AND  TEACHING  OF  CHRIST. 

“But,”  says  the  objector,  “  our  Saviour  doubtless 
used  wine,  permitted  others  to  use  it,  and  even 
turned  water  into  good  wine,” — emphasizing  with  an 
air  of  satisfaction  the  word  “good.”  We  will  not 
attempt,  at  this  particular  juncture,  an  argument 
as  to  the  kind  of  wine  used  under  the  cognizance  of 
Christ.  We  will,  to  gratify  those  of  opposite  views, 
just  for  a  few  moments,  allow  what  they  claim — 
that  it  was  alcoholic,  or  fermented  wine.  What 
does  that  prove?  Our  Lord  was  hunted  and 
watched  throughout  His  ministry  by  His  enemies, 
who  failed  at  any  time  to  detect  a  flaw  in  His  acts 
or  character.  Had  He  shown  the  least  fondness,  or 
favor,  for  wine,  beyond  what  prudence  or  unim¬ 
peachable  sobriety  admitted,  He  would  have  been 
quickly  assailed  therefor,  and  the  circumstances 
have  been  put  upon  record.  Had  He  done  anything 
contrary  to  the  temperance  principles  set  forth 
throughout  His  Gospel,  He  would  have  lost  His 
hold  upon  those  who  thronged  His  sacred  person, 
and  would  have  caused  their  hearts  to  be  filled  with 
doubt  and  unbelief. 

On  the  other  hand,  where  can  we  find  more  pro¬ 
nounced  declarations  against  intemperance  than  in 
the  New  Dispensation  ?  By  drunkenness  we  become 
guilty  of  the  whole  law ;  by  it  we  are  shut  out  of 
the  kingdom  of  His  glory;  and  by  it  we  are  shut 
out — by  the  concurrent  action  of  the  universal 


48 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


Christian  Church  in  the  ages — of  the  assemblies  of 
His  saints  upon  the  earth. 

Certainly,  no  evil  has  ever  resulted  from  what 
Christ  did  in  relation  to  this  entire  subject.  We 
have  every  reason  to  believe  that  no  drunkenness,  or 
wickedness  came  from  the  festivities  of  Cana ;  that 
their  effects  on  those  who  hung  upon  the  lips  and 
steps  of  the  Master,  were  harmless;  and  that  the 
surroundings,  the  custom  of  the  times,  and  the  wine 
itself  were  all  such  as  to  forbid  anything  baneful. 
Any  other  conclusion  is  at  variance  with  the  known 
character  and  word  of  Christ. 

We  know,  as  is  often  urged,  that  the  juice  of  the 
grape  is  u  the  creature  of  God.”  We  do  not  regard 
it  as  any  more  so  than  the  gold  and  silver  and  cop¬ 
per.  He  has  not  intended  their  use  in  such  a  way 
as  to  create  evil  desires  in  the  human  heart.  If  such 
juice  is  taken  into  our  bodies  simply  from  the  love 
of  it,  and  because  of  an  evil  appetite — which  means 
because  of  its  alcoholic  effects,  and  without  some 
purely  sanitary,  otherwise,  good  and  important  pur¬ 
pose  ;  especially  in  full  knowledge  of  its  evil  influ¬ 
ence  upon  ourselves  and  others — then,  we  offend. 
The  Gospel  is  clearly  and  broadly  against  every¬ 
thing — whether  food  or  drink — that  especially  con¬ 
duces  to  intemperance  in  any  direction.  Our  ap¬ 
petites  must  both  be  conquered  and  held  under 
subjection.  We  must  habituate  them  to  denial, 
whenever  the  interests  of  the  soul  are  jeopardized. 

The  objections  to  Gospel  Temperance,  based  upon 
the  acts  of  our  Lord,  are  trifling  in  their  character. 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE.  49 

and  wicked  in  fact.  Pure  grape  juice — fermented, 
or  otherwise — is  not  in  the  question  at  issue.  It  is 
seized  upon  to  cloak  and  protect  the  miserable  and 
powerful  distillations  and  decoctions  that  alone  are 
found  in  our  public  drinking  places.  Men  argue,  for 
effect, and  from  narrow  and  improper  motives,  as  well 
as  in  ignorance  of  the  real  facts,  when  they  urge  that 
because  wine  was  used  with  the  knowledge  and  con¬ 
sent  of  our  Lord,  therefore  the  Gospel  allows  stimu¬ 
lating  drinks.  A  comparison  of  even  the  pure 
alcoholic  wine,  of  our  own  times,  with  the  villainous 
compounds  of  nineteen-twentieths  or  ninety-nine 
one-hundredths  of  our  bar-rooms,  should  bring  the 
blush  of  shame  to  the  cheeks  of  such  persons. 

In  all  this  we  have  felt  unwilling  to  admit  any¬ 
thing  favorable  to  wine.  We  apprehend  that — in 
these  times  of  high  chemical  advancement,  and  apti¬ 
tude  at  imitation,  when  it  is  known  that  there  is  a 
surplusage  of  poison  and  deception  in  the  “  vile 
stuff”  so  innocently  advertised  upon  bottles,  barrels, 
and  signs — the  use  of  wine,  or  even  colored  water* 
publicly,  is  an  abuse. 

Christ’s  wine  not  intoxicating. 

It  may  be  well  for  us  here  to  adduce  the  testi¬ 
mony  of  one  of  the  most  learned  students  of  the 
Bible  our  country  has  produced, — a  man  who  bat¬ 
tled  against  both  wine  and  strong  drink  of  all  kinds 
while  he  lived, — and  one  of  the  most  effective  of 

that  class  who  believed  that  the  wine  of  our  Lord 

4 


50 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


was  unalcoholie.  He  says:  44  The  Bible  speaks  with 
approbation  thirty-six  times  of  substances  called 
Tirosh  in  Hebrew,  Oinos  in  Greek,  Vinum  in  Latin, 
and  wine  in  English,  and  nine  times  of  similar  sub¬ 
stances  called  by  other  names  ;  and  fifty  times  of 
Yayin  (Heb.),  Oinos ,  Vinum  and  wine,  and  in  every 
instance  meaning  either  grapes,  fresh  grape  juice,  or 
grape  juice  boiled  to  a  syrup,  so  as  to  prevent  fer¬ 
mentation,  and  often  4  mingled  7  with  from  three  to 
twelve  times  its  volume  of  water,  forming  a  deli¬ 
cious  drink.  In  nearly  all  these  cases  the  substances 
named  would  not  intoxicate,  though  freely  used  as 
food  or  drink,  and  they  would  not  create  a  morbid 
craving,  which  increased  as  it  was  gratified  until  its 
victims  were  consumed.  On  the  other  hand,  Yayin, 
Oinos ,  Vinum ,  wine,  or  strong  drink,  and  in  other 
words,  are  named  with  disapprobation  over  one 
hundred  times,  meaning  fermented  wines  for  liquors, 
or  those  liquors  4  mingled  7  with  drugs.  Though  in 
extreme  agony,  and  almost  exhausted,  Christ  re¬ 
jected  the  wine  4  mingled  7  with  myrrh,  which  was 
offered  to  Him  on  the  cross,  though  He  had  often 
used  the  unintoxicating  wines  of  Palestine,  and  even 
worked  his  first  miracle  to  turn  the  water  into  this 
harmless  wine.  Christ’s  wine  at  Cana  was  not  intoxi¬ 
cating,  for  it  was  better  than  what  they  had  used 
until  they  had  4  well  drunk,7  or  drank  nearly  enough ; 
and  Philo,  a  Jew,  Plato,  a  Greek,  and  Pliny,  a 
Homan,  and  other  eminent  ancients,  expressly  say 
that  4  the  best  wine  would  not  intoxicate.7  At  the 
passover,  when  Christ  instituted  the  Lord’s  Supper, 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


51 


no  fermented  bread  or  wine  could  be  used  by  any 
Jew.” 

MR.  MURPHY  CONSISTENT. 

Thus,  we  believe  that  the  temperance  advocated 
to-day  by  Mr.  Murphy  is  consistent  with  the  Gospel ; 
that  in  its  prohibitory  features  it  does  not  transcend, 
in  one  iota,  the  Divine  instructions ;  and  that  the 
moral  power  he  invokes  in  behalf  of  the  cause  is  the 
highest  and  most  thorough,  as  well  as  the  only  per¬ 
fect  way.  When  men  have  broken  resolution  after 
resolution  ;  when  they  have  become  miserably  .be¬ 
sotted  and  profane ;  when  they  have  fallen  to  the 
depths  of  intolerable  pests ;  when  streams  of  obscenity 
and  vice  flow  from  their  mouths  as  streams  of  filth 
from  the  public  sewers ;  and  when  they  have 
nothing  of  confidence  and  hope  left, — the  Gospel  is 
able  to  redeem,  raise  up  and  employ.  None,  among 
the  worst,  are  despised  by  it.  Its  principles  and 
power  are  extended  to  all. 

There  is  but  one  difficulty  in  the  way  of  most 
thorough  success,  in  the  advocacy  of  Gospel  Tem¬ 
perance,  which  Mr.  Murphy  recognizes  as  no  one 
before  him  has  so  fully  done.  Men  must  be  con¬ 
sistent.  They  must  not  regard  caste.  The  acts  of 
temperance  people  are  closely  criticised  by  the  sub¬ 
ject  of  reformation,  as  well  as  by  the  reformed 
drunkard.  And  the  existence  of  the  “  I-am-better- 
than-thou”  principle  has  sent  many  a  good-meaning 
reformed  man  back  to  the  haunts  of  intemperance. 


52 


THE  TRUE  RATH. 


It  is  not  only  needful  that  men  lift  their  fallen 
brethren  up,  but  that  they  help  to  steady  them 
when  upon  their  feet.  The  humility  and  kindness, 
that  enable  individuals  to  help  others  out  of  the 
gutter,  must  not  desert  them  when  they  happen  to 
catch  the  eye  of  a  proud  and  uncharitable  world 
behind  them.  Faithfulness  to  the  first  act  only 
makes  the  work  admirable,  successful  and  noble. 
Otherwise  insult  is  added  to  misery,  and  offence  to 
sin. 

NECESSITY  FOR  GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 

Before  leaving  this  branch  of  our  subject  it  may 
be  well  to  add  a  few  words  in  recognition  of  the 
vast  importance  to  the  public  and  the  world  at  large 
of  Gospel  Temperance.  By  statistics  of  the  most 
reliable  nature  we  are  assured  that  various  nations 
of  the  earth  expend  annually  between  one  and  two 
billions  of  money  for  intoxicating  beverages — an 
amount  which  would  feed  and  clothe  every  creature 
of  poverty,  educate  every  young  person,  furnish  a 
home  to  every  family,  provide  a  Bible  for  every 
fireside,  and  send  the  tidings  of  salvation  to  every 
part  of  heathendom.  We  know,  also,  by  statistics 
equally  authentic,  that  there  are  one  hundred  and 
fifty  thousand  drinking  saloons  in  the  United  States, 
and  five  hundred  thousand  habitual  drunkards — 
of  whom  fifty  thousand  die  annually. 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


53 


PART  II.— THE  BIOGRAPHY 


OF 

FRANCIS  MURPHY. 


CHAPTER  V. 

MR.  MURPHYJS  EARLY  LIFE. 

The  great  Apostle  of  Temperance  was  born  on 
the  24th  day  of  April,  1836,  in  Wexford  county  of 
Wexford,  Ireland.  His  mother  was  an  humble  Irish 
peasant  widow,  in  rather  empoverished  circumstan¬ 
ces.  His  father,  after  a  brief  illness,  died  a  short 
time  previous  to  his  birth.  Often  has  he  made  the 
somewhat  pathetic  remark  that,  “  he  never  knew  a 
father’s  lace  or  a  father’s  smile.” 

His  home  belonged  to  an  estate.  It  was  a  small, 
thatched  cottage,  such  as  is  usually  met  with  among 
the  poorer  people  of  the  Green  Isle,  and  as  is  occasion¬ 
ally  seen  in  our  own  country,  in  rural  districts, 
somewhat  remote  from  business  centres.  This  home 
overlooked  the  sea,  being  upon  the  Harbor  of  Wex¬ 
ford,  not  very  distant  from  St.  George’s  Channel, 
which  connects  the  Irish  Sea  with  the  Atlantic 
Ocean. 


54 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


On  the  brow  of  a  small  hill,  rising  from  the  har¬ 
bor,  was  nestled  the  little  cottage,  having  every 
appearance  of  humbleness  and  quiet.  About  it  was 
the  little  garden  of  the  household,  in  which  were 
grown  the  most  necessary  vegetables,  together  with 
some  beautiful  dowers — combining  the  useful  and 
ornamental — whilst,  a  little  beyond,  the  golden 
grain  lifted  its  myriad  heads,  as  if  watching  the 
great  expanse  of  water  at  its  feet,  and  ever  and 
anon  bowing  and  swelling  in  imitation  of  its  restless 
motion.  Above  it  was  the  majestically  curved 
canopy,  which  nowhere  upon  the  earth  has  ever 
looked  brighter  and  bluer  than  over  Erin’s  hills  and 
slopes,  as  they  descend  toward  the  turbulent  sea. 
Beyond  it,  and  not  very  distant,  running  out  to¬ 
ward  the  Channel,  appeared  the  rocky  sides  which 
have  resisted  successfully  the  tides  and  waves  for 
centuries,  and  hurled  back  their  angry  and  helpless 
foam.  And,  more  prominently  than  all  these,  there 
loomed  up  the  world  of  water  upon  the  one  side, 
and  the  clearly  defined  hills  reposing  lazily  against 
the  clouds,  upon  the  other.  Everything,  at  once, 
beautifully  conspired  together  to  give  character  to 
the  scene,  and  make  the  home  seem  most  lowly. 

Here,  in  youth,  did  Mr.  Murphy  catch  the  im¬ 
pressions  and  feelings  that  have  greatly  contributed 
to  his  effectiveness  as  a  public  speaker  and  worker; 
here  were  formed  the  aspirations  and  desires  that 
could  never  be  satisfied  with  mere  individual  sue 
cess  in  life;  and  here,  too,  were  nourished  the  soul 
faculties  that  have  enabled  him  to  look  through  the 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


55  X 

mists  of  misfortune  and  the  gloom  of  prison-life,  and 
to  rise  above  the  meanness  of  confirmed  dissipation. 
Certainly,  few  persons,  raised  amidst  the  charms  of 
such  natural  surroundings,  and  having  aught  of 
spiritual  discernment,  could  fail  eventually  to  step 
out  freely  into  the  majesty  of  the  Divine  Spirit. 

his  parents’  religion. 

Mr.  Murphy’s  parents  were  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
persuasion.  His  mother  was  a  devoted  member  of 
the  Church,  and  carried  her  views  and  feelings  into 
the  family.  She  was  ever  ready  to  call  her  children 
to  her  side  in  the  hour  of  prayer.  “  Well  do  I  re¬ 
member,”  said  the  lecturer,  on  one  occasion,  “  how, 
when  I  was  a  youth,  and  was  kneeling  with  my 
mother  in  silent  prayer,  she  asked  God  to  watch 
over  ray  helplessness,  and  guide  my  riper  years  into 
the  way  of  peace.”  She  realized  that  there  was 
One  to  whom  she  should  go  for  direction,  in  the 
arduous  and  responsible  duties  of  her  household, 
and  to  Him  she  often  went,  leading  her  children  by 
their  hands. 


STRUGGLES  WITH  POVERTY. 

The  lives  of  the  Murphys  in  Ireland  were  a  con¬ 
nected  series  of  struggles  with  poverty.  The  order 
of  each  day  successively  was  work — quiet,  heavy, 
steady  toil.  The  children  were  required  to  take 
their  share  in  whatever  was  to  be  done.  In  certain 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


56 

r  ** 

seasons  they  had  little  of  substantial  rest.  And 
their  labors  were  attended,  also,  with  considerable  of 
inconvenience.  At  one  time,  in  an  address  bearing 
upon  these  remarks,  Mr.  Murphy  said, — “There  is 
such  a  thing  as  decent  poverty,  but  I  know,  from 
personal  encounter,  that  it  is  very  inconvenient.  I 
remember  of  going  into  the  harvest-field,  and  glean¬ 
ing,  and  then  taking  the  grain  into  the  house, 
pushing  away  the  furniture,  and  thrashing  it  out  at 
night.” 


PECULIAR  HOSPITALITY. 

Although  trials  of  this  kind  would  indicate  to  the 
people  in  our  favored  land  an  extreme  condition  of 
poverty  ;  yet,  it  may  be  well  to  remember  that  the 
Murphy  family,  like  thousands  of  others  in  Ireland, 
were  not  the  subjects  of  want.  Otherwise,  they 
found  occasional  opportunity  of  engaging  in  a 
species  of  hospitality  peculiar  to  the  people  of  that 
far-off  island, — a  hospitality  occasionally  referred  to 
by  travellers  and  tourists  in  terms  of  warmest  com¬ 
mendation.  In  reference  to  this  Mr.  Murphy  spoke 
as  follows  in  one  of  his  public  addresses: 

“  Public  dinners  were  popular  in  the  old  country; 
and,  though  we  could  not  afford  them,  our  friends 
would  be  invited  sometimes,  because  my  mother 
thought  that  it  would  be  considered  mean  if  she 
did  not  invite  them.  I  enjoyed  those  days  on 
which  the  friends  would  come  to  be  feasted  at  the 
little  home.  And  the  table  might  groan  beneath 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE.  57 

% 

the  luxuries,  unless  there  was  liquor  upon  it  some 
thing  seemed  needed  for  the  occasion. 

‘‘  It  has  been  the  fashion  in  my  country,  from  time 
immemorial,  to  have  liquor  on  the  tableland  it  is 
thus  that  a  great  many  young  men  have  been 
brought  into  the  habit  of  drinking,  resulting,  in  the 
course  of  time,  in  their  disgrace  and  shame. 

“I  remember,  when  the  table  was  spread,  and  all 
the  arrangements  made,  how  I  was  allowed  to  come 
into  the  room  and  see  it.  The  white  Irish  linen 
cover  and  the  little  china  tea  cups,  with  a  gilt  rim 
around  the  edge,  looked  beautiful  upon  it.  I  re¬ 
member,  that  when  I  only  touched  one  of  the  cups 
it  would  seem  to  sing  like  a  bird.  I  could  see  all 
the  large  raisins  in  the  cake ;  and  it  was  with  diffi¬ 
culty  I  could  keep  my  fingers  from  them.  Of 
course,  I  knew  that  if  I  touched  them  my  mother 
would  stir  me  up. 

YOUNGSTERS  HUDDLED  INTO  THE  KITCHEN. 

u  When  you  have  a  feast  in  this  country  the  chil¬ 
dren  are  brought  into  the  room  and  are  introduced 
to  the  friends.  In  my  country  the  youngsters  are 
huddled  into  the  kitchen.  This  was  a  part  of  our 
entertainments  I  did  not  like.  My  mother,  when 
everything  was  ready,  would  call  me  aside  and  say, 
;  Come  here,  be  a  good  boy,  keep  perfectly  still,  go 
straight  out  of  this,  and  make  no  noise.’  Thus,  I 
remember  being  turned  out  into  the  kitchen,  and 
how  my  hand  doubled  in  perfect  indignation.  I  can 
yet  feel  the  scalding  tears  as  I  paced  back  and  forth. 


58 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


WRONG  TREATMENT. 

“There  is  no  pleasant  remembrance  about  this 
treatment.  Don’t  ask  your  friends  to  come  to  your 
bouse  at  the  expense  of  your  children.  If  there 
are  no  chairs,  so  that  they  can  be  seated  at  the  table,, 
I  suggest,  that  the  old  folks  go  out  and  wait  until 
the  children  have  eaten. 

“  On  the  occasion  referred  to  I  kept  walking  back 
and  forth  in  great  restlessness.  Often  I  came  to  the 
door  and  put  my  ear  to  it  that  I  might  in  some  way 
enjoy  the  laughter  and  talking.  There  was  a  little 
latch  across,  and  it  would  open  if  it  was  touched. 
Finally  patience  ceased  to  be  a  virtue,  and  the  latch 
was  touched,  whereupon  the  door  opened.  At  this, 
some  of  the  friends  noticed  me,  and  beckoned  to  me 
to  come  into  the  room.  I  entered  very  cautiously, 
for  if  my  dear  mother  had  caught  me  she  would 
have  sent  me  back.  The  friends  had  gotten  through 
eating  and  were  quite  merry  over  their  drink. 

IRISH  CUSTOM  OF  USING  LIQUOR. 

“  Much  has  been  said  about  the  Irish  people 
drinking  intoxicating  liquor ;  but,  if  you  were  ac¬ 
customed  to  the  ways  in  old  Ireland,  you  would  say 
very  little  about  it.  If  half  a  dozen  friends  met 
together  they  had  to  have  a  drop  of  the  crater,  of 
course  ;  they  couldn’t  get  along  without  it.  A  man 
would  be  considered  mean  unless  he  had  it  on  special 


59 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 

occasions  upon  his  table ;  and  no  man  likes  to  be 
called  stingy.  There  is  something  fascinating  to  an 
Irishman  in  the  thought  that  he  is  a  liberal  man, 
and  that  his  friends  will  say  of  him  :  4 1  would  like 
to  repeat  my  visit  to  his  house ;  what  beautiful 
whiskev  ;  what  splendid  wine  ;  it  was  glorious/ 

APPETITE  FOR  LIQUOR  FIRST  FORMED. 

M  My  friend  would  take  his  glass  in  his  hand  ;  he 
was  a  dear  friend  of  our  family  ;  and,  adding  a 
little  water  to  the  whiskey,  would  place  it  in  my 
hand  as  I  stood  by  his  side.  I  remember  of  my 
looking  up  in  his  face  and  sipping  it  from  a  tea¬ 
spoon.  Thus  I  first  learned  to  love  the  taste  of 
liquor.  It  was  there  the  appetite  was  first  formed. 
It  was  there  the  seeds  of  intemperance  were  sown 
which  cursed  and  made  a  wreck  of,  me  thousands 
of  miles  from  my  native  land. 

A  WAY  THAT  IS  NOT  THE  “  TRUE  PATH.” 

“In  justice  to  the  memory  of  my  beloved  mother — * 
who  loved  me  as  affectionately  as  your  parents  have 
loved  you — I  will  say,  there  is  a  way  that  seemeth 
right  to  many  of  us.  but  the  end  thereof  is  death.’' 

LIMITED  EDUCATIONAL  ADVANTAGES. 

The  family  was  to  a  considerable  extent  deprived 
of  educational  advantages.  On  account  of  its  reli- 

O 


60 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


gion,  the  doors  of  the  national  schools  were  closed 
against  the  children  ;  and  there  was  no  remedy,  ex¬ 
cept  in  the  somewhat  indifferent  arrangements  pro¬ 
vided,  at  times,  in  the  parishes,  by  the  priesthood. 
In  these,  the  authority  of  the  school-master  was 
often  unrestrained — which  means  that  the  method 
and  extent  of  the  instruction  depended  largely  on 
his  taste,  temperament  and  caprice.  And,  to  these, 
the  Murphys  had  recourse. 


A  “  PIGGY-BACK  ”  FLOGGING. 

On  one  occasion,  young  Francis  greatly  offended, 
in  some  way,  the  austere  man  of  the  birch,  and  was 
made  to  feel  the  extent  of  his  anger.  In  violent 
tone  he  was  ordered  from  his  seat,  and  astraddle  the 
back  of  one  of  the  larger  boys  in  the  school.  In 
this,  what  is  known  among  most  American  children 
as  u  piggy-back  ”  position,  having  his  legs  held 
firmly  about  the  body  on  which  he  was  mounted,  he 
was  most  mercilessly  walloped  and  welted.  The 
quick  and  willowy  rod  cut  through  the  air,  until  it 
seemed  well-filled  with  low,  crisp  whistles ;  and 
it  fell  with  visible  effect  upon  the  tightly  covered 
rump  of  Francis,  who  straggled  and  fretted  terribly 
under  the  infliction. 

This  was  an  event  and  scene  that  could  not  fail 
of  a  lasting  impression  upon  the  youth.  Aside  from 
his  corporeal  suffering,  his  mind  was  filled  with 
thoughts  of  the  great  public  disgrace  that  had  be- 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


6i 


fallen  him.  The  words  of  Addison  were  true  to  the 
letter,  and  commended  themselves  most  perfectly  to 
the  situation  : 

“  When  vice  prevails,  and  impious  men  bear  sway, 

The  post  of  honor  is  a  private  station.” 


OUTRAGEOUSLY  DEALT  WITH. 

He  was  not  accustomed  to  severity  of  this  kind 
in  the  little  cottage  at  the  hill.  There,  he  was  also 
a  subject  of  discipline,  at  times,  but  had  not  to  con¬ 
tend  with  the  two- fold  punishment  of  physical  pain 
and  public  exposure.  There,  he  knew  that,  what¬ 
ever  of  castigation  was  administered,  and  however 
severe  in  its  character,  behind  it  were  only  purposes 
of  kindness  and  love. 

While  he  continued  at  school  he  carried  with  him 
constantly  the  conviction  that  he  had  been  out¬ 
rageously  dealt  with,  and  often  appeared  to  worry 
under  an  uncontrollable  longing  to  resent,  at  some 
time  or  other,  the  gross  inhumanity. 

Not  long  since,  in  a  speech,  in  which  Mr.  Murphy 
took  occasion  to  refer  to  the  power  of  kindness,  he 
not  only  recited  this  incident,  but  made  the  declara¬ 
tion  that,  of  all  the  wrong  he  had  ever  endured  at 
the  hands  of  any  one,  this  seemed  the  greatest,  and 
hardest  to  forget,  and  that,  notwithstanding  the 
flight  of  time,  and  change  in  his  experience,  he 
found  it  “an  act  most  difficult  to  forgive.” 


62 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


EFFECT  OF  UNKINDNESS  AND  INJUSTICE. 

And  the  illustration  he  thus  employed,  we  may 
well  heartily  commend  to  the  attention  of  our 
readers.  It  merits  something  of  serious  thought. 
There  is  often  much  of  injury  done  the  dependent 
creatures  of  households  through  want  of  careful 
judgment  in  the  exercise  of  authority.  When  chil¬ 
dren  have  advanced  to  years  not  only  of  consider¬ 
able  discretion,  but  have  also  become  imbued  with 
a  sense  of  honor  and  manhood — the  very  qualities 
that  should  be  most  sacredly  guarded  and  trained — 
the  first  show  of  injustice  and  attempt  at  degrada¬ 
tion  should  be  abhorred.  To  maltreat  and  deal  with 
}muth  as  if  they  were  little  in  advance  of  the  brute, 
is  to  dwarf  their  natures,  and  disqualify  them  more 
for  an  honorable  place  in  life.  Unkindness  and  in¬ 
justice,  steadily  practiced  upon  tender  people,  soon 
fasten  themselves  upon  the  whole  being  as  a  disease — 
one  of  an  aggravated  and  despicable  kind.  In  the 
words  of  Milton  : 

“  The  soul  grows  clotted  by  contagion; 

Imbodies  and  imbrutes,  till  she  quite  lose 
The  divine  property  of  her  first  being.” 

There  is  another  phase  of  this  subject.  The  un¬ 
kindnesses  of  youthhood  are  not  apt  to  be  forgotten. 
They  may  never  find  expression  in  the  after  life,  but 
far  back  in  the  secret  and  sacred  vaults  of  the  mem¬ 
ory  they  are  kept.  Often  in  the  hour  of  solitude, — 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


63 


and  after  the  perpetrators  are  buried  forever  from 
human  sight,  however  near  to  us  by  consanguinity — 
we  thumb  over,  in  our  thoughts,  the  various  circum¬ 
stances,  until  we  shrink  at  the  sudden  truth  that 
our  love  for  their  memories  is  becoming  chilled ; 
then,  hurriedly,  we  put  back  the  little  biographical 
scraps,  and  sigh  and  grow  sad. 

“  AN  ACT  MOST  DIFFICULT  TO  FORGIVE.” 

How  worthy  the  attention,  also,  the  thoughts  fur¬ 
nished  us  in  the  statement  of  Mr.  Murphy  that,  even 
now ,  he  found  it  “  an  act  most  difficult  to  forgive.” 
After  all  these  years — at  least  twenty-five — and  all 
his  chequered  experience ;  after  the  change  of  heart, 
bv  which  the  things  that  he  once  loved  he  now 
hates,  and  vice  versa  ;  after  the  full  development  of 
the  faculties  of  his  soul  into  an  exhibition  of  kind¬ 
ness  and  humanitarianism  that  invites  universal  ap¬ 
plause, — after  all  this,  in  the  fullness  of  his  soul,  he 
is  forced  to  the  confession  that  the  prominent  atrocity 
we  have  referred  to,  as  part  of  his  school-boy  expe¬ 
rience,  is  “  an  act  most  difficult  to  forgive.” 

LONGING  FOR  A  FREER  AIR. 

Everything  in  young  Murphy’s  experience  in¬ 
fluenced  him  toward  a  broader,  and  different  life. 
He  was  now  rapidly  on  his  way  to  maturity.  His 
mind  was  taking  a  new  shape.  A  particular  wish 
had  been  forming,  and  was  pressing  quite  heavily 


\ 


64 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


upon  him.  Often,  standing  in  the  door  of  the  cot¬ 
tage  at  eventide,  and  drinking  in  the  fragrance  of 
the  flowers  his  own  hands  had  planted,  did  he  con¬ 
template  the  grandeur  of  the  world  before  him  ;  and 
often,  too,  yearn  for  a  larger  experience  in  the  battle 
of  life  than  his  home  could  possibly  afford  him. 
As  the  great  vessels,  with  their  valuable  freights — 
both  of  life  and  property — passed  and  repassed,  he 
longed  for  a  freer  air  than  that  about  him.  He  had 
heard  of  the  wonderful  country  more  than  three 
thousand  miles  away,  in  which  vast  numbers  of  the 
sons  and  daughters  of  Ireland  had  found  a  pros¬ 
perous  and  happy  home,  and  fancied  that  every 
ship  passing  out  toward  the  channel  carried  men 
and  women  from  a  land  of  oppression  to  one  of 
almost  unlimited  freedom. 

When  once  the  chains  of  slavery,  however  neatly 
and  humanely  fashioned,  enwrap  a  people,  the  very 
children  contract  an  inordinate  desire  to  escape  in 
some  way  their  condition.  And  the  more  they  are 
denied,  through  poverty,  or  any  other  cause,  their 
ardent  wishes,  the  more  will  they  aspire  to  the  very 
highest  and  most  unrestrained  kind  of  personal 
liberty. 


AN  IMMOVABLE  PURPOSE. 

Far  out  upon  the  water  the  silken  sails  were  fre¬ 
quently  seen,  and  never  failed  to  secure  the  atten¬ 
tion  of  our  embryo  lecturer.  The  well-known  desti¬ 
nation  of  many  of  them  excited  anxious  thoughts 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


65 


within  him,  and  their  easeful  and  graceful  motion 
lulled  his  whole  nature  into  an  immovable  purpose. 
Ilis  home  had  great  attractions  to  one  so  tender  in 
his  attachments ;  his  mother  had  a  deep  and  firm 
hold  upon  his  affections ;  and  the  remnant  of  the 
family  were  dear  to  him.  Yet,  his  soul  was,  as  a 
caged  bird,  looking  away  from  its  confinement  into 
an  atmosphere  better  suited  to  its  requirements  and 
nature. 


EMPLOYED  AT  A  CASTLE. 

After  a  little  time,  a  position  was  obtained  by  our 
subject,  with  his  mother’s  landlord,  in  a  neighbor¬ 
ing  castle,  in  which  he  was  able  to  earn  something 
for  himself.  His  compensation  was  small,  and  his 
place  one  that  did  not  satisfy  either  his  own  am¬ 
bition,  or  the  judgment  of  his  mother.  Neverthe¬ 
less,  upon  the  very  sensible  and  popular  axiom  that 
“  half  a  loaf  is  better  than  no  bread,”  he  was  induced 
to  engage  in  the  service  of  others. 

In  his  position  he  was  subjected  to  duties  and 
treatment  not  in  harmony  by  any  means  with  his 
views.  He  was  but  a  servant,  and  as  such  felt  it 
his  lot  to  endure  patiently  something  of  indignity. 
When  his  master  was  upon  his  best  behavior,  and 
free  from  the  effects  of  his  favorite  stimulant,  the 
lad  knew  well  the  importance  of  remaining  within 
the  narrow  limits  of  his  position  and  round  of 
duties ;  and  was  ever  conscious  of  the  necessity  for 

a  regard  for  the  manners  peculiar  to  the  air  of 

5 


66 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


landed  property  in  bis  country.  But,  when  his 
master  had  imbibed  pretty  freely,  and  entered  upon 
what  he  considered  a  canty  time,  then  the  bright- 
eyed  young  servant  became  the  companion  and 
equal,  and  shared  in  the  heating  potions  of  his  liege, 
until  both  were  beyond  their  boundaries,  con¬ 
siderably. 

Thus,  being  near  his  home,  and  enabled  to  put  in 
an  appearance  occasionally  at  the  little  cottage, 
where  alone  he  met  with  a  hearty  reception,  and 
substantial  feelings  of  interest,  his  family  learned  of 
the  temptations  and  trials  by  which  he  was  sur¬ 
rounded,  and  felt  keenly  his  danger. 

Nor  were  they  unnecessarily  suspicious,  as  the 
result  fully  proves.  For,  since  the  advent  of  Mr. 
Murphy  in  America,  the  landed  owner  alluded  to 
has  become  disposessed  of  all  his  valuable  estates, 
and  been  reduced  to  absolute  penury  and  wandering, 
all  through  persistent  inebriety.  While  the  lord  of 
the  castle  has  fallen  from  a  high  place,  on  account 
of  yielding  to  a  debased  appetite,  his  servant  has 
risen  to  even  a  loftier  and  infinitely  more  honorable 
one,  by  breaking  away  from  the  same  slavery,  and 
fighting  to  enfranchise  others. 

This  is  but  the  old  story.  It  has  ever  been  so. 
When  will  men  learn  wisdom  ?  When  will  the 
lives  that  have  been  wrecked  all  along  the  by-ways 
of  time,  and  dotting  the  most  dangerous  paths,  as 
the  suspended  icicles  do  the  eaves  of  our  roofs,  serve 
as  sufficient  warnings  to  others?  Why  will  men 
knowingly  press  on  to  destruction — sure,  and 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


67 


speedy  ?  There  is  no  exception  to  the  rule,  that 
they  who  adhere  to  the  cup  must  be  bitten,  be 
poisoned,  and  eventually  destroyed. 

While  holding  his  position  at  the  castle,  young 
Murphy  continued,  as  occasion  offered — and  often 
at  twilight — his  meditations  in  front  of  the  cottage. 
He  gazed  long  and  fondly  upon  the  far-stretching 
billows,  until  there  would  rise  within  him  the  irre¬ 
pressible  desires  that  seemed  to  be  feeding  upon  his 
very  vitals.  Surely  his  drudgery  must  soon  end. 

A  DIFFICULT  TASK. 

Early  had  he  learned  to  confide  his  plans  and  pur¬ 
poses  to  his  mother.  He  knew  full  well  of  her  trust 
in  God,  and  her  love  for  her  children.  Therefore 
his  very  thoughts  were  ever  impulsively,  and  with¬ 
out  timerity,  poured  into  the  maternal  ear,  and  thus 
his  secrets  confided  to  his  best  of  earthly  friends. 
And  she,  on  the  other  hand,  had  ever  encouraged 
this.  Beiug  full  of  concern  for  the  welfare  of  her 
boy,  she  gladly  reasoned  and  counselled  with  him  in 
all  things — striving  to  point  out  for  him  the  most 
dangerous  thickets  and  by-ways  in  the  path  of  life, 
as  she,  in  her  circumscribed  way,  was  best  able  to 
discern  them. 

But  now,  all  this  was  somewhat  changed.  He 
had  less  disposition  to  unbosom  himself  to  his  mother 
than  ever  before.  Never,  within  the  range  of  his 
experience,  had  he  felt  so  much  of  misgiving.  He 
had  already  conversed  with  her,  in  a  general  way, 


68 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


upon  the  subject  of  emigrating  to  tbfe  New  World; 
but  now  there  was  something  decisive  near  at  hand 
— the  great,  and  particular  event,  he  believed,  of  his 
whole  life. 

He  was  scarcely  equal  to  his  task.  Could  he. 
even  by  an  act  of  justice  and  seeming  necessity, 
bring  tears  to  the  eyes,  and  aches  to  the  heart,  and 
shadows  to  the  life  of  that  mother,  who  had  been  to 
him  the  dearest  of  all  human  substance  and  bless¬ 
ing  ?  Could  he  stretch  the  greatest  and  holiest  of 
all  human  ties  to  their  fullest  capacity  of  endurance  ? 
We  shall  see ! 


CHAPTER  VI. 

COMING  TO  AMERICA. 

Young  Murphy  had  already  crossed  the  thresh- 
hold  of  his  sixteenth  year.  His  ambitious  resolves 
had  expanded  to  their  utmost  tension.  The  golden 
dreams  of  many  months,  if  not  of  some  years,  he 
felt  would,  at  least,  ere  long  be  realized.  He  was 
now  only  awaiting  a  suitable  time  when,  with  the 
consent  of  his  mother,  he  could  plant  his  feet  upon 
one  of  the  many  vessels  steering  out  toward  the 
setting  sun. 

The  days  were  growing  more  and  more  weari¬ 
some,  as  he  failed  to  solve  the  wish  and  will  of  her 
whom  he  loved.  He  could  endure  the  suspense  no 
further.  More  than  this,  an  excellent  opportunity 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


69 


presented  itself — one  that  to  him  seemed  especially 
desirable.  Permission  mast  be  sought  at  once,  and 
obtained,  if  possible.  Nerving  himself  to  the  task, 
he  stepped  before  his  mother,  and  looking  up  into 
her  face,  with  an  anxiety  she  could  not  but  readily 
discern,  said, — “  I  should  like  to  be  permitted  to  go 
to  America.” 


THE  DECISION. 

It  was  the  work  of  a  moment.  But,  then,  it  was 
also  the  work  of  a  life.  To  the  son,  that  moment 
was  freighted  with  the  highest  of  worldly  interests. 
To  the  mother,  it  was  a  struggle  scarcely  second  to 
any  other  in  her  history.  Yet,  it  was  but  the  work 
of  a  moment  on  the  part  of  both.  The  boy  saw 
only  the  fair  shores,  beauteous  homes,  and  free  hills 
and  vales  of  the  far-off  land  to  which  his  soul  was 
leaping  as  a  hart.  The  mother  saw  her  boy — his 
somewhat  gloomy  prospects  at  home — her  increasing 
years  and  cares — the  heel  of  what  seemed  to  her  to 
be  the  oppressor ; — and  then,  her  great  heart,  widen¬ 
ing  to  the  occasion,  ready  to  endure  every  sacrifice 
for  his  good ; — then,  though  it  crushed  her,  she  de. 
cided  for  him.  It  was  done. 

A  SELF-SACRIFICING  WOMAN. 

Noble  mother !  Our  heart  goes  out  to  her  even 
now.  It  matters  not  what  her  disadvantages  or 
difficulties  in  life,  we  have  both  admiration  and 
love  for  such  matrons,  wherever  found. 


70 


THE  TRUE  RATH. 


Men  have  appended  the  words,  “  a  demi-god  ”  to 
the  names  of  many  who  were  good  and  great  in  the 
annals  of  both  public  and  private  history.  But  such 
women  are  above  our  demi-gods.  They  near  abso¬ 
lute  divinity.  They  will  allow  the  chords  about 
their  hearts  to  snap  one  after  another  rather  than 
sacrifice  a  morsel  of  the  real  interests  of  those  who 
have  drunk  the  life-blood  from  their  own  veins. 

Noble  mother  1  They  who  have  not  had  such, 
are  miserably  poor,  in  comparison,  however  fortune 
has  otherwise  smiled  upon  them.  The  memory  of 
such  a  mother  is  dearer  and  sweeter  far,  though  she 
has  passed  into  the  heavens,  than  all  the  most  mel¬ 
lowing  effects  of  the  subsequent  years,  filled  with 
kindness  and  attention. 

We  may  speak  of  the  sublime  natures  of  wives 
and  daughters,  whose  lives  have  been  prolific  in 
sacrifices  and  exalted  devotion  ;  but,  it  is  not  until 
they  rise  to  the  high  and  holy  place  of  faithful 
Christian  mothers,  that  they  attain  to  their  highest 
distinction.  “  There’s  no  love  like  a  mother’s  love,” 
greets  us  often  in  the  household ;  and  while,  from 
the  love  we  bear  the  companions  of  our  bosoms,  we 
cannot,  perhaps,  at  the  moment,  repeat  the  words  ; 
yet,  we  bow  humbly  our  heads,  and  wipe  away  the 
tear  of  memory.  Nor  can  our  dear  companions,  but 
honor  our  emotion,  as  they  behold  their  children 
around  their  forms  lovingly  calling  them  “  mother  !  ” 

Noble  mother,  we  must  exclaim,  yet  again  1 
Would  that  we  could  place  on  record  a  more  fitting 
tribute  to  the  divine  action.  Surely,  just  where  men 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


71 


are  too  feeble  to  give  proper  expression  to  the  over¬ 
flowing  impulses  of  their  souls,  when  kindled  into 
activity  by  such  beings,  there  does  the  recording 
angel  take  up  his  pen,  open  the  great  book  of  eter¬ 
nity,  and  begin  to  indite  the  record  of  their  worth. 

How  could  men  other  than  of  great  hearts — of 
almost  boundless  sympathies — -but  descend  from 
such  a  woman  ?  How  could  the  offspring  of  such, 
ever,  under  the  guiding  eye  of  God,  be  allowed  to 
fall  into  the  pit  of  destruction  ? 

CIRCUMSTANCES  OF  THE  EVENT. 

But,  it  may  be  well  here  to  employ  the  words  of 
Mr.  Murphy  in  relation  to  the  event  referred  to:-^. 
UI  shall  never  forget,”  said  he,  “  my  mother’s  coun¬ 
tenance,  when  I  looked  into  her  face,  and  presented 
my  request.  Dear  soul,  she  could  hardly  speak  to 
me.  Her  eyes  quickly  filled  up,  and  her  lips  parted 
so  strangely.  She  said,  ‘  Yes,  I  think  it  will  be  best  * 
for  you  to  go,  my  boy.’  ” 

As  has  already  been  shown,  there  was  little  or  no 
hope  for  the  Murphy  children.  The  position  of  the 
family,  and  the  condition  of  the  country,  almost 
totally  shut  them  from  anything  like  a  fair  prospect 
in  life.  The  merest  servitude  was  before  them,  and 
that  was  even  not  to  be  depended  upon  at  all  times. 

The  mother,  in  her  great  disquietude  of  mind, 
shortly  after  the  foregoing  interview,  called  at  the 
castle  about  which  her  son  was  employed,  and  ear¬ 
nestly  conversed  with  him.  She  appeared  greatly 


72 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


moved,  and  her  conversation  betrayed  the  depth  of 
the  current  of  feeling  that  was  stirred.  After  a 
slight  pause,  she  said,  in  a  somewhat  subdued,  but 
firm  tone,  “  I  would  like  to  have  you  come  home, 
and  spend  the  last  week  with  me.” 

Of  course,  to  this  request  Francis  yielded.  He 
could  not  do  otherwise.  And,  when  the  last  hour 
of  his  toil  closed,  he  eagerly  set  his  face  toward  the 
old  home.  It  was  evident,  however,  that  the  real 
nature  of  the  step  he  was  taking  now  began  to  ap¬ 
pear  to  him — doubtless,  for  the  first  time.  He 
thought  of  his  mother — of  her  faithfulness  to  all 
that  concerned  him,  of  her  many  exhibitions  of  deep 
love,  of  the  possibility  that  he  should  never  see  her 
again,  and  many  similar  things — until  his  heart 
grew  heavy,  and  the  well-known  voice  greeted  him 
at  the  cottage  door. 

We  will  not,  of  ourselves,  attempt  to  invade  tfhe 
privacy  of  the  following  week.  That  is  a  task  that 
belongs  alone  to  the  only  remaining  witness,  and  he 
has  freely  and  eloquently  opened  his  heart  to  the 
public,  in  the  premises.  We  will  now  advert  to  his 
own  story : — 


LAST  WEEK  IN  IRELAND. 

“  I  never  shall  forget  that  week.  I  can  see  my 
mother  going  backward  and  forward  through  the 
house.  Her  time  was  chiefly  spent  in  making  the 
needful  preparations,  and  packing  up  for  me.  And 
when  she  would  lift  up  the  clothes  and  look  at  them, 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


73 


I  could  see  the  tears  running  down  her  cheeks.  Sh& 
would  look  at  me  awhile,  as  if  in  deep  thought  and 
solicitude,  and  then  silently  walk  away.  I  thank  Giod 
for  the  memory  of  that  week  at  home.  It  has  been 
a  great  blessing  to  me.  I  was  only  sixteen  years  of 
age ;  yet,  blessed  be  God,  the  memory  of  that  home, 
that  face  and  that  voice,  is  still  fresh  and  sweet  in 
my  heart. 


THE  LAST  NIGHT. 

“  And  then,  the  last  night  came,  before  I  was  to 
leave.  It  was  the  custom  in  old  Ireland,  when  a 
man  was  passing  his  last  night  at  home,  to  send  for 
his  friends.  But  mother  said,  4  My  son,  I  should 
like  to  be  alone  with  you  this  last  night.’  There 
was  no  person  invited.  My  trunk  was  partly  packed 
and  there  were  some  clothes  placed  upon  the  bureau 
alongside  of  mjT  trunk.  My  mother  said  to  me, 
4 get  your  chair  and  sit  with  me  here  to-night. ’ 
And  she  took  her  seat  by  the  table  with  her  head 
resting  upon  her  hand.  Sometimes  she  would  lift 
up  her  head  and  look  into  my  face,  and  then  drop 
it  down  upon  her  bosom  and  place  her  hands  across 
her  breast.  I  could  see  her  struggle  to  control  her 
<n’ief.  We  sat  there  until  it  was  one  o’clock  at 
night,  and  I  don’t  think  there  were  twenty  words 
spoken  between  us.  Mother  finally  arose  from  her 
chair  and  said  to  me,  4  My  son,  I  think  I  will  try 
and  finish  packing  your  trunk.’  Hever  shall  I  for¬ 
get  that  voice  as  she  arose  from  the  chair.  She 


74 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


spoke  so  strangely.  She  walked  over  to  where  the 
trunk  was,  looked  into  it,  and  then  reached  over  to 
the  clothes  on  the  bureau,  and  placed  them  in  it. 
She  smoothed  them  down  with  great  care.  When 
the  last  garment  was  placed  in  it,  it  was  all  the  dear 
soul  could  do  to  stand  up  again.  Afterward,  she 
raised  up  from  her  stooping  position  over  the  trunk, 
and  walking  to  the  window  watched  for  the  car¬ 
riage  that  was  to  come  for  her  boy.  When  I  was 
ready  to  start,  mother  stood  with  her  back  to  me, 
and  I  could  see  her  trembling. 


THE  MOTHER’S  BLESSING. 


44  I  had  not  yet  received  her  blessing.  It  was  really 
about  all  she  could  give  me,  dear  soul.  You  can 
hardly  find  a  countryman  of  mine  in  America  who 
would  not  prize  his  mother’s  blessing.  I  think  some¬ 
times  Americans  do  not  value  the  parental  blessing- 
enough.  For  my  mother  to  put  her  hand  on  my 
head,  and  say,  4  God  bless  you,’  was  a  great  deal  to 
me.  I  arose  from  my  seat  and  walked  up  to  where 
mother  was,  and  putting  my  arms  about  her  neck, 
said,  4  mother,  now  give  me  your  blessing  before  I 
part  from  you.’  I  then  knelt  at  her  feet,  and  she, 
placing  her  loving  hand  upon  my  head,  said,  4  May 
the  blessing  of  God  go  with  you  ;  and  may  you  re¬ 
member,  my  dear  boy,  that  the  same  sun  that  shines 
on  me  shines  on  you ;  that  the  same  God  that  is 
watching  over  us  in  our  humble  home,  will  care  for 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


75 


you  in  a  strange  country  ;  and  oli,  may  you  not  for¬ 
get  your  mother.’  ” 

How  touching  this  narrative.  And,  so  full  of 
interest  does  it  seem  in  its  brief  recital  that,  it  savors 
more  of  romance  than  of  real  life  among:  the  hum- 
ble  poor  in  Ireland.  Yet  it  has  the  stamp  of  strange 
truth  upon  it.  Yo  fiction  could  be  more  so.  It 
commends  itself  to  the  kindly  sympathy  and  ad¬ 
miration  of  every  Christian  reader.  Yea,  more,  it 
teaches  us  something  of  real  and  permanent  value 
It  brings  to  our  minds  that  honored  custom,  of  thv 
patriarchal  times,  the  bestowal  of  parental  blessing-- 
the  importance  of  which  is  lost  sight  of  in  these 
days  of  extended  commerce,  hurried  speculation, 
constant  immersion  in  business  and  consequent  ne¬ 
glect  of  spiritual  training  in  families — and  shows 
how  that,  where  religion  has  not  been  smothered 
out,  there  is  a  natural  disposition  of  soul  to  adhere 
to  it;  proving  also  to  our  judgment  that,  under 
God’s  providence,  there  is  enough  merit  in,  to  make 
a  necessity  for,  it. 

The  effect  of  this  last  occurrence  upon  Francis 
Murphy  was  none  other  than  would  be  upon  most 
young  persons  under  similar  circumstances.  In 
reference  to  it  he  has  said,  44 1  can  say  without 
hesitation,  if  ever  a  young  man  left  his  home  with 
a  fixed  determination  to  prove  a  blessing  to  his 
mother  in  her  declining  years,  that  young  man  was 
myself.  I  expected  to  make  her  life  radiant  with 
sunshine.” 


76 


THE  TKUE  PATH. 


THE  SEPARATION. 

The  moments  of  deep  suspense  were  now  about  to 
close.  The  time  for  the  arrival  of  the  conveyance, 
which  was  to  bear  the  son  away  to  a  landing  at 
some  distance  from  the  cottage,  had  arrived.  A 
few  moments  later  and  its  rumbling  was  becoming 
more  and  more  distinct  in  the  descending  road-way. 
Soon  it  reached  the  cottage.  The  well-filled  trunk 
was  speedily  placed  in  position,  and  Francis  and  his 
mother  bade  adieu  to  each  other  for  a  time — yea, 
as  the  sequel  shows,  forever  upon  earth. 

Had  the  mother  known  the  bitter  experience  of 
many  years  which  awaited  her  beloved  boy  in  this  far- 
off  favored  land  ;  had  she  seen  how  that  the  slavery 
of  alcohol  in  our  free  government  can  be  even  more 
terrible  in  its  effects  than  that  of  a  tyrant  in  any 
European  monarchy  ;  and  how  that  her  son  was  only 
hastening  to  deeper  bondage, — her  soul  would  have 
sunk  within  her,  and  her  arms  would  have  refused 
to  separate  from  the  last  embrace. 

But  it  is  well  that  foresight  is  the  prerogative  of 
Divinity,  and  separate  from  our  finite  minds  ;  that 
we  are  not  unfitted  for  our  present  enjoyments  by 
our  knowledge  of  the  future,  so  often  pregnant  with 
calamity  and  direst  experiences  ;  and  that  we  can 
not  only  be  shut  out  from  all  imaginary  trials,  but 
also  rise  above  all  real  bitterness,  and  look  above 
the  coming  years  into  the  beyond,  through  the  eye 
of  faith. 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


77 


Speedily  the  carriage  rolled  away  with — to  that 
trembling, solicitous  soul  bowed  beneath  its  weight  of 
sorrow,  and  weeping  in  the  doorstead  of  the  little 
thatched  cottage — its  world  of  precious  freight.  Sad, 
truly,  are  such  separations.  They  cannot  but  beget 
in  every  devout  Christian  heart,  as  they  are  doubt¬ 
less  intended  to,  a  desire  for  the  time  when  there  shall 
be  no  more  going  in  and  out  forever.  We  can  bow 
reverently  before  the  feelings  of  that  woman ;  and, 
can  also  realize  a  sense  of  anguish,  in  view  of  the 
years  before  that  youthful  emigrant.  Poor  mother 1 
Poor  boy ! 


THE  VOYAGE. 

In  a  little  while  young  Murphy  reached  the  place 
where  the  vessel,  along  with  many  others,  lay,  in 
which  he  was  soon  to  set  sail.  A  boatman  was 
hard  by  whose  duty  it  was  to  place  him  on  board. 
This  was  done  with  due  speed,  as  all  hands  ap¬ 
peared  eager  for  the  voyage.  After  the  further 
lapse,  however,  of  about  two  hours — occasioned, 
perhaps  by  the  delay  of  freights — the  orders  were 
rapidly  issued  to  the  hands  on  deck,  and  the  ship 
was  loosed  from  her  moorings. 

At  this  point  was  the  subject  of  our  biography 
first  favored  with  the  sight  of  a  tug-boat — a  preten¬ 
tious  looking  little  thing  which  steamed  up  and 
hitched  fast  to  the  vessel.  The  purpose,  evidently, 
was  to  pilot  it  into  the  channel,  and  thence  into  the 
sea. 


78 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


The  voyage  was  soon  fully  entered  upon,  and  out 
on  the  bosom  of  the  pathless  ocean — now,  riding 
majestically  against  the  waves  that  beat  upon  her 
bows,  and  then  ascending  the  mountainous  billows, 
and  plunging  downward  again  into  the  watery 
trough — rode  the  ship,  with  its  numerous  emigrants, 
bearing  to  our  shores,  and  his  destiny,  the  humble 
Irish  lad,  who,  in  the  coming  time,  should  marshal 
the  most  gigantic  and  successful  of  all  temperance 
reforms  known  to  history. 


CHAP.TER  VII. 

ON  THE  SEA  AND  IN  THE  NEW  WORLD. 

Those  who  are  accustomed  to  the  conveniences 
and  comparative  comforts  of  a  voyage  from  New 
York,  or  Philadelphia,  to  Liverpool,  or  elsewhere, 
as  afforded  by  our  modern  and  elegantly  furnished 
steamers — occupying  usually  not  more  than  two 
weeks,  from  port  to  port — can  have  no  conception 
of  the  annoyances  and  tediousness  peculiar  to  emi¬ 
grant  life  at  sea.  Nothing  could  be  more  repugnant, 
to  a  naturally  good  taste,  than  the  manners,  habits 
and  associations  uniformly  encountered  ;  and  these, 
too,  for  the  protracted  period,  usual  to  packet  ships 
and  barks,  in  coming  from  the  ports  of  the  Irish 
sea  to  this  country. 

Young  Murphy’s  spirit  of  adventure  was  most 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


79 


probably  not  increased  or  intensified  by  the  entour¬ 
age.  On  the  contrary,  many  circumstances  mast 
have  contributed  their  quota  toward  creating  in  him 
a  spirit  of  depression  and  great  weariness.  His 
thoughts  were  as  apt' to  fiy  backward  to  the  W exford 
home,  as  forward  to  the  one  his  imagination  had 
reared.  His  experience  was  far  from  what  he  had 
expected  ;  as  far,  it  may  be,  as  was  that  of  his  later 
years — up  to  the  time  of  his  escape  from  the  slavery 
of  intemperance. 

After  a  sail  of  seven  weeks  and  three  days,  the 
much-longed-for  shores  lay  before  the  vessel.  It 
had  at  last  reached  its  destination.  The  great  city 
of  Hew  York  loomed  up;  and  nearly  all  on  board 
seemed  to  regard  the  objects  of  prominence,  as  they 
stretched  away  toward  the  sky,  with  strained  eyes 
and  bated  breaths.  Ho  one  on  board  felt  more  ex 
ultant  than  Francis  Murphy.  His  somewhat  seclu- 
ded  and  narrowed  life  at  home  made  the  countless 
things  before  him  doubly  interesting.  His  hea"~* 
beat  quickly,  and  his  joy,  at  being  able  to  step  upo,v 
the  land  of  his  choice,  could  scarcely  be  restrained. 

The  passengers  and  their  baggage  were  transferred 
by  boat  to  the  land.  Upon  the  counsel  and  invitav 
tion  of  a  man,  whose  acquaintance  young  Murphy 
had  made,  he  directed  his  steps  toward  a  hotel.  He 
had  given  himself  and  his  checks  into  the  charge  of 
the  person  in  question,  and  with  him  soon  reached 
his  first  stopping  place — a  tavern.  Here  suitable 
rooms  were  found,  and,  unfortunately,  something  of 
genial  companionship. 


/ 


80 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


DRINKING  AND  TREATING. 

One  of  the  first  of  the  youth’s  acts  was  to  yield  to 
the  temptation  to  take  a  drink.  Stepping  into  the 
bar-room,  with  his  newly  made  friend,  he  called  for 
11  something  to  take.”  This  appeared,  at  the  time, 
to  be  about  the  most  convenient  term  for  any  kind 
of  liquor.  In  the  old  country  they  drank  by  the 
“  noggin” — or,  in  the  old  Irish,  u  noigin  ” — which 
was  a  mug,  or  wooden  cup,  and  about  equal  in 
measure  to  a  gill.  Our  youth  was  ready  to  adapt 
himself  freely  to  his  new  surroundings. 

A  hearty  indulgence  now  commended  itself  to 
young  Murphy,  in  view  of  his  safe  deliverance  from 
the  perils  of  the  deep  ;  and,  like  thousands  of  others, 
instead  of  lifting  his  heart  in  thankfulness,  he  robbed 
Jehovah  of  the  glory  due,  and  bestowed  it  freely 
upon  the  devil. 

Drink  after  drink  and  treat  after  treat  followed. 

7 

and  Frank,  and  Tim,  and  Jim,  and  the  bar-keeper 
kept  on  successively  at  “  setting  them  up,”  until 
things  became  so  mixed  that  the  track  of  the  whole 
business  was  eventually  lost.  The  fact  was  that,  at 
his  home  in  Ireland,  our  lad  knew  little  or  nothing 
of  the  queer  effects  of  American  “  tangle-foot,”  even 
at  that  day,  and  he  somewhat  innocently — rather, 
ignorantly — drank  to  his  confusion. 

TURNED  OUT  UPON  THE  WORLD. 

The  liberality  manifested  by  our  Irish  lad,  and 
his  fondness  for  tippling  had  won  the  kindly  atten- 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


81 


tion — for,  either  the  word  respect,  or  esteem,  would 
be  a  misnomer — of  the  landlord.  Through  the 
space  of  just  about  one  week  his  drinking  had  con 
tinued,  when  suddenly  he  was  brought  to  a  round 
turn  by  the  fact  that  his  money  was  all  gone.  Of 
course,  this  soon  became  known  to  his  host.  But, 
encouraged  by  the  cordial  interest  shown  him,  young 
Murphy  believed  that  all  would  go  well  with  him. 

It  was  not  so.  The  friendship  of  the  man,  whose 
coffers  took  in,  bit  by  bit,  all  the  lad’s  change,  was 
exhausted  with  the  last  piece  spent  at  his  bar. 
After  but  a  brief  parley  the  youth  was  turned  out 
upon  the  world. 

Reason,  and  a  decent  regard  for  human  nature, 
would  have  suggested  that  a  smooth-faced  stranger, 
without  family  or  kin,  should  have  had  something 
of  sympathy,  attention  and  instruction — or  rather, 
of  protection  and  help.  But  he  had  fallen  among 
evil  friends — into  hands  unused  to  acts  of  kindness 
and  charity.  The  business,  which  so  largely  preys 
upon  our  vitals  as  a  nation,  often  influences  its  rep¬ 
resentatives  to  acts  of  rapacity,  even  upon  the  inno¬ 
cent  and  unwary. 


EVERYTHING  GONE. 

Without  a  suitable  home  or  friends,  for  three 
weeks  our  lad  persisted  in  a  course  of  inebriety. 
Not  only  was  his  money  gone,  but,  at  the  end  of 
this  time,  everything  he  had  brought  with  him  from 

across  the  ocean,  was  also  beyond  his  reach.  His 

6 


82 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


situation  was  a  most  wretched  one,  and,  as  he  began 
to  realize  the  fact,  and  recover  his  wonted  judg¬ 
ment,  he  saw  the  urgent  necessity  for  some  way  of 
escape.  But,  the  prospect  was  very  slender,  and  he 
was  exceedingly  depressed. 

A  SITUATION  SECURED. 

Becoming,  of  necessity,  quite  sobered,  he  sought 
the  interest  and  influence  of  several  persons,  through 
whose  kindness  he  happily  secured  a  situation. 

It  was  his  purpose,  now,  to  repair  the  mischief  he 
had  wrought,  by  replacing  his  most  needful  articles 
of  dress.  His  face  was  in  the  right  direction,  and 
his  intentions  were  apparently  firm  and  good. 
Faithfully  he  entered  upon  his  labor. 

But,  ah,  how  vainly  man  proposes  !  The  youth 
knew  not  his  true  condition.  His  blood  was 
poisoned,  his  taste  perverted,  and  his  whole  being 
enslaved.  The  appetite  for  strong  drink  remained. 
He  could  not,  and  did  not,  continue  to  abstain  from 
it  for  any  length  of  time. 

Under  such  circumstances  his  life  would,  of  course, 
be  subjected  to  many  changes,  and  they  would 
quickly  begin  their  round.  Thus,  he  found  it  neces¬ 
sary,  in  a  little  time,  to  seek  employment  elsewhere. 

OFF  TO  CANADA. 

In  obedience  to  the  advice  of  a  friend,  he  con¬ 
cluded  to  go  to  Quebec,  Canada,  in  the  hope  of 
filling  an  engagement  of  a  certain  kind.  But  For- 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


83 


tune  did  not  seem  to  smile  upon  him,  and  he  was 
obliged  to  turn  his  attention  to  some  other  point. 
His  scanty  funds  were  now  nearly  exhausted,  and 
he  could  not  very  well  return  to  the  States,  therefore 
he  concluded  to  go  to  Montreal  and  seek  employ¬ 
ment.  Soon  after  his  arrival  he  obtained  a  position 
at  a  hotel,  such  an  one  as  would,  at  least  for  a  time, 
satisfy  his  necessities,  if  not  indeed  his  tastes. 

After  retaining  his  place,  for  the  space  of  between 
one  and  two  years,  he  was  finally  obliged  to  re¬ 
linquish  it,  on  account  of  his  drinking  habits.  In 
this  strait,  he  could  not  very  well  expect  favor  in 
the  land  of  St.  George’s  Cross,  therefore  he  deter- 
mined  to  re-enter  the  country  of  his  choice. 

AT  FARM  WORK. 

Removing  to  the  State  of  Hew  York,  he  found 
himself  compelled  to  engage  at  farm  work.  His 
duties  were  arduous,  and  his  remuneration  very 
light,  nevertheless,  through  industry,  both  at  his 
labor,  and  in  subduing  somewhat  his  appetite  for 
strong  drink,  he  began  to  realize  something  of  suc¬ 
cess. 

In  reference  to  this  period  of  his  life  he  has  said, 
“I  was  compelled  to  learn  the  profession  of  driving 
oxen  on  a  farm  ;  and  as  a  green  Irish  boy,  with  a 
goad  in  hand,  I  learned  to  talk  to  Buck  and  Bright.” 
And  in  further  allusion  to  this  part  of  his  experience 
he  has  remarked,  “  I  have  seen  a  man  laugh  at  me, 
while  I  was  chopping  a  maple  log.  I  was  cutting 


84 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


away,  at  a  great  rate,  and  thought  I  was  doing 
splendidly,  but  every  time  I  struck  the  log  he  would 
shout  and  laugh  at  me.”  Evidently,  the  youth  had 
not  entirely  gotten  away  from  his  former  habits,  and 
was  struggling  between  two  loads — one  in  his  head, 
and  the  other  at  his  feet. 

GETS  MARRIED. 

Finding  his  way,  soon  after,  further  into  the  coun¬ 
try,  he  was  enabled  to  overcome  his  appetite  more 
perfectly,  and  took  to  a  sober  and  circumspect  life. 
Here,  having  a  magnetism  that  few  persons  could 
excel  him  in,  and  manifesting  the  gallant  tenden¬ 
cies  of  his  countrymen,  he  became  enamored  of  an 
intelligent  and  attractive  young  lady.  In  a  short 
time  his  influence  commanded  the  desired  respect 
and  affection,  and  he  obtained  the  hand  of  the  fair 
one. 

Young  Murphy  was  now  eighteen  years  of  age, 
and  married.  His  relations  to  the  world  were 
greatly  changed,  and  his  thoughts  and  purposes  also 
had  become  more  matured.  He  saw  the  necessity 
for  a  life  of  steadiness  and  industry,  and  applied 
himself  with  energy  to  his  daily  labor.  Thus, 
through  a  period  of  some  years — perhaps  five,  or 
six — he  continued  in  Hew  York  State,  toiling  and 
accumulating,  little  by  little. 

A  CHRISTIAN  WIFE. 

The  young  lady  he  had  married  proved  to  him  a 
most  valuable  and  tender  companion, and  had  much 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


85 


to  do  with  the  success  and  continued  sobriety  of  his 
life.  She  was  a  Christian  in  every  sense  of  the 
word.  She  had  been  taught  the  ways  of  true  wis¬ 
dom,  having  enjoyed  the  influences  of  religion,  and 
was  evidently  pbssessed  of  faculties  largely  spirituel 
— such  as  we,  at  times,  meet  with,  and  recognize  as 
much  above  the  ordinary  grade  of  character. 

To  her  he  confided  all  his  wishes  and  intentions, 
and  from  her  received  no  little  of  counsel  and  di¬ 
rection,  knowing  well  the  value  of  her  judgment, 
her  most  amiable  nature,  and  her  rigid  regard  for 
all  his  interests. 

The  influence  of  so  estimable  a  companion 
upon  Mr.  Murphy  could  not  but  be  marked  and 
unbounded.  This  has  appeared  on  various  occa¬ 
sions,  in  his  public  addresses.  Recently,  he  re¬ 
marked,  to  a  large  audience,  “  If  you  have  a  good 
Christian  wife,  consult  her  in  all  your  business. 
Give  her  to  feel  that  she  is  a  partner  in  life  with 
you ;  that  you  are  to  work  together ;  and  believe  in 
each  other,  come  what  will.  Hearts,  thus  joined  to¬ 
gether  by  God’s  Holy  Spirit,  nothing  should  separate, 
There  is  no  difficulty  they  cannot  surmount ;  no 
obstacle  they  cannot  overcome.  With  faith  in  each 
other,  and  faith  in  God,  they  will  come  through  all 
right.’’ 


ARRIVAL  OF  A  BROTHER. 

During  these  years  of  Mr.  Murphy’s  experience, 

an  older  brother  came  to  America,  and  settled  with 

5 


86 


THE  TRUE.  PATH, 


him  for  the  time.  This  was  quite  a  pleasing  circum¬ 
stance  to  Francis,  and  gave  him  no  little  of  encour¬ 
agement  and  ambition  in  his  fixedness  of  living. 
He  began  to  feel  that  he  had  an  interesting  and  im¬ 
portant  part  in  the  great  battle  of  life,  and  that  he 
must  act  well  now,  if  ever  enduring  success  should 
crown  his  efforts. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

REMOVED  TO  PORTLAND. — A  NEW  BUSINESS. 

In  due  course  of  time,  Mr.  Murphy  determined, 
in  connection  with  his  brother,  to  select  some  other 
place  of  residence;  and,  led  by  friendly  considera¬ 
tions,  fixed  upon  the  city  of  Portland,  Maine. 

Here,  the  brothers,  filled  with  the  idea  of  their 
peculiar  adaptation  to  hotel-keeping,  and  the  re¬ 
markably  profitable  nature  of  such  business,  began 
to  make  especial  drafts  upon  their  enterprise. 
Francis  had  his  purposes  well  set  upon  a  public 
life  of  that  description,  as  the  only  and  sure  road 
to  his  ultimate  success;  but  his  heart,  somehow, 
almost  failed  him,  when  he  considered  that  his 
wife’s  consent  might  only  be  obtained  with  diffi¬ 
culty.  He  would  not  engage  in  it,  however,  until 
he  had  consulted  the  partner  of  his  bosom. 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


87 


HIS  WIFE  OPPOSED  TO  IT. 

When  he  presented  her  his  project,  she  saw  the 
consequences  that  would  likely  ensue,  and  opposed 
it.  Her  womanly  instincts  were  averse  to  a  busi¬ 
ness,  from  which  she  had  everything  to  fear,  aud 
nothing  of  either  comfort  or  pleasure  to  gain.  Her 
soul  revolted  at  the  thought  of  her  husband  having 
his  old  appetite  aroused — for  she  had  heard  of  his 
trials  while  in  bondage  to  drink — and  she  looked 
with  something  of  anxiety  toward  the  little  ones 
gathering  about  her.  She  would  not  yield  her  en¬ 
dorsement.  But  looking  up  into  his  face  she  said: 

w Frank,  I  would  sooner  beg  for  a  living,  in  the 
streets  of  Portland,  than  to  have  you  sell  intoxica¬ 
ting  liquor.” 

The  manner,  the  countenance,  the  words,  the  rare 
judgment,  and  the  moral  character  of  the  woman, 
all  spoke  volumes  to  her  husband,  as  she  uttered 
these  words.  They  were  pronounced  in  firmness, 
and  yet  a  cloud  of  sadness  seemed  to  play  about  her 
clear  white  brow. 


ACTING  ALONE. 

Here  was  a  troublous  thing.  Mr.  Murphy  had 
tried  to  live  in  entire  harmony  and  sympathy  with 
his  companion,  and  was  accustomed  to  an  exhibi¬ 
tion  of  respect  for  her  opinions,  although  he  did 
not  always  heed  them.  How  could  he,  however, 
oppose  her  in  this?  Certainly,  he  concluded,  in  so 


88 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


important  a  matter  as  his  business,  he  should  act 
alone,  and  assert  his  dignity  as  a  man. 

There  are  plenty  of  such  men.  In  matters  that 
are  all-important,  and  concern  the  general  welfare 
of  the  family,  they  will  be  governed  freely  by  the 
views  of  the  loved  ones — so  long  as  a  depraved  taste 
is  out  of  the  question.  But,  let  once  this  latter 
feature  present  itself,  they  will  meanly  retreat  be¬ 
hind  what  they  call  “  manhood  a  miserable  con¬ 
dition  of  slavery  to  the  carnal  nature,  that  is  want¬ 
ing  in  everything  either  dignified  or  respectable. 

A  short  time  since,  Mr.  Murphy  declared,  in  refer¬ 
ence  to  the  event  mentioned,  “I  consulted  her  out 
of  courtesy,  and  if  she  did  not  endorse  my  way,  I 
pursued  it  all  the  same.  I  never  saw  a  man  have 
occasion,  in  the  end,  to  regret  having  consulted  his 
wife.  Men  engaged  in  the  sale  of  intoxicating 
liquor  do  not,  in  general,  consult  their  wives.  They 
think  they  are  capable  of  managing  their  own  busi¬ 
ness ;  but  their  wives  are  worried  to  death  by  it. 
After  all,  there’s  nothing  like  a  man  taking  his  wife 
into  his  confidence,  just  as  he  has  taken  her  into  his 
heart.  He  should  make  her  to  feel  that  she  is  loved, 
and  should  consult,  and  be  advised  by,  her  in  his 
business.  Thus  God’s  Spirit  will  both  lead  and  help.” 

BRADLEY  HOUSE  RENTED. 

The  Murphy  brothers  persisted  in  their  purpose 
and  rented  the  Bradley  House,  on  the  corner  of 
Commercial  and  India  streets,  with  the  purpose  of 
having  the  family  of  Francis  use  it  as  a  residence. 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


89 


It  was  at  once  furnished  in  a  comfortable  way,  and 
everything,  looking  to  its  speedy  occupancy,  accom¬ 
plished. 

WILL  SELL  LIQUOR  “  RESPECTABLY.” 

Now,  however,  came  the  more  unpleasant  part  of 
their  arrangements.  Mrs.  Murphy  was  to  be  in¬ 
formed,  her  objections  overcome,  and  herself  and 
family  to  be  brought  to  their  new  home.  Francis 
at  once  advised  her  of  his  course,  expressed  the  hope 
that  she  would  give  her  consent  to  the  removal,  and 
by  way  of  encouragement,  said,  44 1  am  not  going 
to  make  any  effort  to  sell  liquor,  but  I  will  only 
keep  it  for  my  customers  and  sell  it  respectably.” 

This  is  a  landlord’s  idea,  the  world  over,  when 
he  has.  to  confront  his  objecting  friends, or  answer  a 
chiding  conscience.  He  will  sell  liquor  44 respect¬ 
ably.”  We  have  heard  of  men  swearing  44  respect¬ 
ably  of  others  robbing  44  respectably  and  of  still 
others  gambling  44  respectably.”  But  we  have  not 
seen  any  of  it — nor  have  we  been  able  to  understand 
how  it  is  done  in  that  way. 

But,  hear  how  Mr.  Murphy,  the  reformer,  replies 
to  the  declaration  of  Mr.  Murphy,  the  landlord  :  44  It 
is  an  utter  impossibility  to  sell  liquor  respectably. 
It  is  the  worst  business  under  the  sun.  The  finest 
of  men,  apparently,  will  come  to  you  and  say, 4  Give 
me  another  drink.’  You  reply,  4  You  have  enough  V 
Thejf  then  urge,  4  Don’t  I  know  my  business  ?’  And 
thus  you  cannot  refuse  them  without  the  dreaded 
quarrel.” 


90 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


PROMISED  HER  NOT  TO  DRINK. 

To  still  further  induce  his  wife  to  acquiesce  in  his 
plans,  Mr.  Murphy  promised  her  that  he  would  not 
drink  himself. 

This,  of  course,  was  a  matter  of  importance  to  the 
faithful  Christian  wife  and  mother,  in  the  event  of 
her  yielding  to  her  husband,  under  protest.  But, 
the  nature  made  noble  by  the  grace  of  God  con¬ 
sidered  not  her  immediate  interests  alone.  It  had 
also  a  proper  esteem  for  those  of  others,  for  she 
bravely  replied,  “If  you  don’t  drink,  yourself,  some 
other  people  will  take  it !” 

How  thoughtful  and  true  !  She  knew  that,  if  her 
own  heart  did  not  mourn  and  break,  because  of 
cruelty  and  desolation  in  the  home,  from  the  use 
of  villainous  liquids,  the  hearts  of  other  wives  and 
mothers  were  endangered.  And  thus  she  fulfilled 
the  law  of  Christ. 

• 

AT  HOME  IN  THE  HOTEL. 

After  a  brief  temporary  delay,  during  which  the 
needful  disposition  of  furniture  was  made,  Mr. 
Murphy  called  with  a  carriage  for  his  wife  and  chil¬ 
dren,  and  took  them  to  their  new  abode.  While 
going  through  the  rooms,  he  inquired : 

“  How  do  you  like  it,  wife ?” 

“I  suppose  I  shall  have  to  like  it  1”  was  the  reply, 
as  a  singular  expression  of  intense  sadness  crossed 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


91 


her  face.  She  knew  that  her  husband  had  spent  his 
money  in  fitting  up  the  place,  and  that  there  was 
no  help  for  her. 

a  Don’t  be  concerned,  I  am  not  going  to  take  in¬ 
toxicating  liquors,”  argued  her  husband. 

“Somebody  else  will  drink,”  was  the  quick  re¬ 
sponse,  as  on  the  previous  occasion. 

A  GENUINE  CONVERT. 

Mr.  Murphy  need  have  furnished  no  other  inci¬ 
dent,  nor  have  added  one  word  more,  to  prove  the 
Christian  character  and  womanly  worth  of  his  com¬ 
panion.  She  was  evidently  a  genuine  convert  to 
our  holy  religion. 

And,  as  has  been  said,  there  are  hundreds  of  just 
such  women  to-day,  who,  through  tears  and  sighs 
and  prayers,  are  struggling  at  the  throne  of  the 
heavenly  grace  in  behalf  of  their  husbands  and  sons, 
that  they  may  be  led  from  the  debasing  traffic  in 
rum  to  an  honorable  and  righteous  life. 

BUSINESS  SUCCESSFUL. 

Thus  began  the  career  of  Francis  Murphy,  at 
Portland,  as  a  hotel-keeper.  In  a  little  time  quite  a 
lively  business  was  transacted.  The  enterprise  was 
a  decided  success,  and  the  brothers  were  elated  with 
their  prospects. 

In  the  progress  of  time,  the  elder  brother,  becom¬ 
ing  wearied  of  the  business,  declined  in  favor  of 


92 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


Francis,  who  was  now  left  in  sole  possession.  His 
success  was  assured,  and  he  became  financially  pros¬ 
perous. 

A  WRECK  AT  LAST. 

For  a  period  of  about  ten  years  Mr.  Murphy  con¬ 
tinued  in  the  proprietorship  of  the  hotel.  But  dur¬ 
ing  this  time  he  fell  under  the  assaults  of  the  demon 
of  strong  drink.  Toward  the  close  of  it  he  became 
so  fond  of  his  “  grog,”  that  he  grew  careless  of  his 
customers,  neglected  his  business,  and  gradually  lost 
the  accumulated  savings  of  years.  Finally,  his  hotel 
was  closed  upon  him,  and  he  was  turned  out,  with 
his  family,  a  wretched  drunkard. 

MANNER  OP  HIS  RUIN. 

When  he  began  his  business,  he  did  not  expect  to 
fall ;  but  was  of  the  conviction  that  he  had  the  most 
complete  control  of  himself.  Diligently  for  a  time 
did  he  observe  the  promise  given  his  wife.  But 
eventually  the  temptation  of  his  business  proved  too 
much  tor  him.  Friends — comprising  a  circle  to 
which  he  became  greatly  attached — would  call  at 
his  place  and  urge  him  to  indulge  with  them. 

“  Don't  ask  me  to  drink,  it  is  impossible,”  was  the 
invariable  response. 

“  Come  on,  let  us  have  a  drink,”  plead  they. 

“Remember  my  wife  and  children,”  was  offered 
as  the  last  and  most  potent  excuse. 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


98 


“Take  a  little  ale,  then,”  was  urged. 

Finally,  the  glass  of  ale  was  taken,  and,  according 
to  his  own  declaration,  “  It  was  that  glass  of  ale 
that  sealed  Frank  Murphy’s  fate."  In  regard  to  it 
he  has  also  added,  “  If  I  had  not  tasted  it,  I  would 
be  willing  to  part  with  my  strong  right  arm.” 

This  step  taken,  Mr.  Murphy’s  fall  began.  He 
soon  took  another,  and  another,  and  so  on,  until  his 
old  habits  and  appetite  were  in  full  sway  upon  him. 
Ilis  wife  speedily  detected  the  misfortune,  and  felt 
its  heavy  weight,  but  did  not  utter  words  of  un¬ 
kindness.  She  was  not  given  to  scolding,  or  censure, 
and  preferred  to  bear,  meekly  and  patiently,  her 
trials,  rather  than  wound,  even  when  merited. 

Following  the  loss  of  his  hotel,  Mr.  Murphy 
entered  the  saloon  or  boarding-house  business  in  a 
limited  way.  But,  the  blighting  effects  of  liquor 
prevented  him  from  meeting  with  anything  of  pros¬ 
perity. 


a  man’s  neck  broken. 

On  one  occasion,  an  intoxicated  man  entered  his 
house,  and  insisted  upon  going  up  stairs.  The  bar¬ 
keeper  refused  to  allow  this.  After  a  momentary 
effort,  the  man  broke  away,  and  hurrying  up  the 
steps,  met  Mr.  Murphy  at  the  top.  A  few  hasty 
words  followed,  whereupon  the  two  engaged  in  a 
scuffle,  during  which  both  fell  and  rolled  to  the 
floor  below.  Mr.  Murphy  was  not  hurt,  but  the 


94 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


assailant  was  picked  up  dead — his  neck  having 
been  broken  in  the  fall. 

Mr.  Murphy  was  arrested  immediately  after  the 
occurrence,  and  was  subsequently  tried  and  acquit¬ 
ted.  The  occurrence  proved  quite  a  misfortune  to 
the  family  pecuniarily,  as  also  a  source  of  deep 
sorrow. 

CONTINUOUS  DISSIPATION. 

From  the  time  of  the  liberation  of  Mr.  Murphy 
he  continued  his  acts  of  dissipation.  His  family 
were  now  reduced  to  a  condition  of  constant  anguish 
and  suffering.  In  the  midst  of  his  carousals,  his 
little  boy  would  come  to  him  at  times,  near  the  hour 
of  midnight,  and  plead  with  him  to  return  to  his 
mamma.  Then,  perhaps,  accompanying  the  child, 
he  would  seek  and  enter  his  wretched  home,  and 
find  the  pallid  face  of  his  wife  resting  upon  her 
hand,  while  her  eyes  seemed  to  be  pouring  intently 
over  the  Word  of  God.  The  words,  it  might  be, 
would  quietly  drop  from  her  lips,  “  I  wish  you  would 
stop  drinking.”  To  this  the  answer  was  promptly 
given,  and  perhaps  a  trifie  curtly,  “  I  wish  I  could,” 
followed  with  a  long  and  burdensome  silence. 

The  picture  seems  a  dark  one.  Surely  it  will 
awaken  sympathy  wherever  pondered.  But  the 
reader  cannot  form  a  reasonable  conception  of  its 
real  nature,  any  more  than  he  can  look  into  the 
hearts  and  lives  of  that  family  and  see  the  various 
lights  and  shades,  in  all  their  intensity  of  character, 
through  which  they  have  successively  come. 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


95 


Here,  Francis  Murphy,  the  husband  and  father, 
is  a  common  drunkard,  a  burden  to  his  family  and 
society,  and  without  a  friend  outside  his  poor 
family.  There  is  not  one  to  be  found,  in  the  city  of 
Portland,  who  will  say  a  word  in  extenuation  of  his 
course.  He  is  even  notably  degraded  in  the  eyes  of 
those  who  hold  loosely  every  principle  of  sobriety. 
Surely  the  community  can  abide  such  a  man  no 
longer. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

THE  ARM  OF  THE  LAW  TO  BE  INVOKED. 

We  are  now  called  upon  to  record  an  event  in  the 
life  of  Mr.  Murphy  of  more  than  ordinary  import¬ 
ance.  Strong  drink  had  done  its  worst.  Its  power 
was  to  be  stayed  by  the  strong  arm  of  the  law.  In 
a  crushed  and  neglected  home  were  a  wife  and  chil¬ 
dren  whose  claims  upon  public  sympathy  could  not 
be  totally  ignored.  They  were  at  last  approaching 
deep  trial — having  endured  much  of  mental  anguish 
already — through  the  persistent  drunkenness  of  the 
husband  and  father.  An  effort  must  be  made  to 
check  the  mischief  already  done,  and  prevent  further 
misfortune  among  the  innocent. 

EVERYTHING  LOST  AND  WITHOUT  A  FRIEND. 

It  will  interest  the  general  reader  to  have  placed 
before  him  the  statements  of  Mr.  Murphy  in  refer- 


96 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


ence  to  what  followed.  After  detailing  his  experi¬ 
ence  as  an  inebriate,  he  said  : 

“  I  lost  everything  I  owned  in  this  world  in  the 
City  of  Portland.  On  the  night  of  September  25th, 
1S69,  I  was  a  bankrupt,  without  a  dollar,  and,  1 
think  I  can  say,  without  a  friend.  This  is  a  good 
deal  for  a  man  to  say.  It  is  easy  enough  for  a  man 
to  simply  say  that  he  has  no  friends  ;  but  it  is  quite 
another  thing  for  a  man  to  feel  it  down  deep  in  his 
heart. 

“  When  misfortune  came  my  friends  passed  away. 
I  then  kept  on  drinking,  trying  thereby  to  forget 
the  sorrows  that  had  come  upon  me.  I  did  not  care 
much  whether  I  lived  or  died.  Even  the  men,  who 
were  engaged  in  the  same  business  I  had  followed, 
gave  me  the  cold  shoulder.  Generally  speaking,  if 
you  have  been  respected  in  the  liquor  business,  and 
become  unfortunate,  you  will  find  a  great  gulf  to 
come  between  those  similarly  engaged  and  yourself. 

“  Some  persons  thought  that  the  best  thing  they 
could  do  for  me  and  my  family  would  be  to  have 
me  arrested  and  sent  to  the  county  jail  for  reforma¬ 
tion.  Nevertheless,  it  has  been  to  me  one  of  the 
greatest  crosses  of  my  life. 

ARRESTED. 

“  A  countryman  of  mine,  a  wholesale  liquor  dealer, 
and  Mr.  Perry,  the  sheriff,  came  to  my  place,  one 
day,  and  asked  me  to  take  a  walk  down  the  street 
with  them.  I  did  so,  not  knowing  what  their  busi¬ 
ness  with  me  was.  The  sheriff  had  been  talking  about 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


97 


things  of  recent  occurrence,  when,  suddenly,  he 
said  : 

UiI  have  been  requested  to  have  you  arrested/ 

“  ‘  By  whom,’  I  asked. 

“  Thereupon  he  pulled  a  writ  from  his  pocket,  hav¬ 
ing  the  signatures  of  four  men  upon  it.  One  of 
these  was  in  the  same  business  I  followed,  and,  of 
course,  had  not  the  least  sympathy  with  me.  They 
did  not  come  and  talk  with  me  in  a  manly  way,  but 
determined  upon  arresting  me,  like  a  dog,  and  thrust¬ 
ing  me  into  a  dark  dungeon.  I  asked  : 

“  ‘  Will  you  let  me  go  and  see  my  friend  Patrick 
McClidgy.’ 

“  ‘  Yes ;  we  will  go  with  you  to  him,’  was  the  reply. 

“  McClidgy  was  a  man  I  loved  as  truly  as  I  did 
my  own  children.  We  had  been  drunk  and  sober 
together.  We  had,  so-called,  good  times  in  asso¬ 
ciating  together  ;  and  I  loved  him.  When  we  went 
and  saw  him,  he  said  : 

“  4  Take  him  away  and  lock  him  up,  it’s  the  best 
thing  you  can  do  for  him.’ 

“  At  this,  it  seemed  to  me  my  heart  would  break. 
It  was  about  the  hardest  blow  of  my  life.” 

A  CONFIDING  MAN. 

We  may  here  indulge  profitably,  perhaps,  in  a  few 
reflections.  Mr.  Murphy  is  the  very  embodiment  of 
genuine  kindness  and  affection  to  his  friends.  He 
evidently  is  not  the  kind  of  nature  that  will  desert 

a  friend  in  the  hour  of  his  extremity,  but,  on  the 

7 


98 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


contrary,  is  rather  eager  to  prove  his  faithfulness  at 
every  opportunity.  Such  being  the  case,  his  soul 
revolts  at  the  very  thought  of  anything  perfidious. 
To  find  faithlessness  in  a  friend,  would  always  be 
to  him  a  matter  of  surprise,  and  intense  sorrow. 
Having  a  make  up  that  admits  of  the  fullest  exer¬ 
cise  of  confidence,  and  also  spiritual  faith,  he  cannot 
brook  the  want  of  these  in  any  one  whom  his  affec¬ 
tions  cherish. 

Such  a  man  is  qualified  for  a  grand  Christian  ex¬ 
perience  and  work.  He  is  designed  for  a  higher  and 
better  place  than  that  of  a  saloon-keeper ;  yea, 
more,  than  that  of  a  successful  business  man. 
When  the  truth  fully  dawns  upon  him,  and  his 
heart  is  fixed  on  God,  he  will  rapidly  advance  from 
grace  to  grace,  and  gift  to  gift,  until  his  spiritual 
boundaries  are  widened  to  a  capacity  far  above  the 
average  believer. 

The  trial  Mr.  Murphy  endured  in  this  species  of 
contact  with  a  man,  who  was  esteemed  a  dear  friend, 
was  but  a  link  in  the  chain  of  events  that  was  now 
being  forged  in  the  great  foundry  of  the  Almighty, 
for  the  purpose  of  separating  forever  the  kingdom 
of  the  Prince  of  Darkness  from  the  spiritual  domain 
soon  to  be  added  to  the  government  of  the  Son  of 
God.  He  was  thus  to  lose  his  trust  in  man,  and,  in 
the  greatness  of  his  soul,  to  seek  a  holier  and  more 
enduring  repose  for  it.  Experiences  so  deep  and 
afflicting  are  uniformly  pregnant  with  the  most  in¬ 
valuable  blessings,  and  productive  of  the  highest 
good,  to  every  one  who  is  not  beyond  the  reach  of 
hope. 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


99 


But  we  will  return  to  the  statement  furnished. 
Mr.  Murphy  continued  : 

“  My  wife  knew  nothing  of  my  arrest.  My  chil¬ 
dren  were  ignorant  of  it.  The  sudden  misfortune 
to  me  had  not  yet  reached  their  ears  or  hearts. 

THRUST  INTO  JAIL. 

“  Soon  we  came  to  the  dark  door  of  the  jail.  It 
stood  open  and  I  stepped  into  it.  Never  shall  I 
forget  the  first  moment  in  which  I  entered  the 
building. 

“  I  was  thrust  into  the  little  dungeon  of  about  six 
feet  by  three  in  size.  It  contained  a  little  iron  bed¬ 
stead,  having  upon  it  a  pillow  of  straw  and  an  army 
blanket  stretched  over  it.  Here  thoughts  of  the 
past  crowded  upon  me.  The  voice  that  came  to  me 
first  was  that  of  my  sainted  mother.  I  could  see 
her  sweet  face  and  hear  her  once  more.  I  thank 
God  that  it  is  utterly  impossible  to  tear  from  the 
heart  the  memory  of  a  good  mother.  Then,  I  could 
understand  what  the  poet  meant,  in  his  beautiful 
language : 


“  I  hear  a  voice  thou  canst  not  hear, 
Which  says  thou  shalt  not  stay  ; 

I  see  a  hand  thou  canst  not  see, 
Which  beckons  me  away  ! 


DESERTED. 

“Yes,  in  the  silence  of  that  lone  place,  I  could 
hear  the  old  familiar  voice.  And  there  I  remained, 


100 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


suffering  all  the  terrible  delirium  that  it  is  possible 
for  a  poor  victim  of  intemperance  to  endure.  Of 
course,  I  was  shut  away  from  the  world.  I  was 
altogether  deserted  by  everybody  except  my  faith¬ 
ful  wife  and  children.  And  may  God  bless  these; 
they  never  deserted  me ;  they  never  said  an  unkind 
word  to  me.  Constantly,  almost,  they  passed  and 
repassed  in  review  before  me. 

“  In  this  place  I  remained  for  a  considerable  time. 
It  was  evidently  designed  that  I  should  have  some¬ 
what  of  leisure  with  my  thoughts.  My  condition 
was  one  of  extreme  sadness.  But,  eventually,  I 
realized  the  truth  of  the  lines  : 

“  ‘God  moves  in  a  mysterious  way, 

His  wonders  to  perform, 

He  plants  His  footsteps  in  the  sea, 

And  rides  upon  the  storm  !’  ” 

Thus  we  have  touchingly  presented  us  the  account 
by  Mr.  Murphy  of  his  incarceration  for  habitual 
drunkenness.  It  is  not  only  full  of  interest  and  in¬ 
struction,  but  thoroughly  confirms  all  we  have  said 
of  the  remarkable  character  of  the  man.  It  shows 
how  deep  was  the  fountain  of  feeling  within  him 
for  others,  notwithstanding  his  wretched  course  as 
an  inebriate. 


AN  ERRONEOUS  OPINION. 

There  are  great  numbers  of  people  around  us  who 
believe  that  a  man,  full  of  the  milk  of  human  kind- 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


101 


ness,  and  having  proper  respect  and  love  for  his 
family,  cannot  possibly  pursue  such  a  course  of  dis¬ 
sipation  as  did  Mr.  Murphy  ;  that  any  one,  of  the 
nature  and  disposition  we  have  accorded  him,  could 
not  but  revolt  at  such  conduct,  even  in  the  very 
midst  of  the  indulgence  of  his  appetite. 

We  differ  from  all  such.  In  times  of  innocence, 
and  thoughtlessness,  the  system  becomes  poisoned. 
A  depraved  taste  is  formed.  This  grows  as  fully 
into  power  over  the  man  as  do  the  most  relentless 
and  fatal  fevers.  And  the  men  of  kindness  are 
among  those  most  easily  overcome  by  the  malady. 
They  may  resist  and  struggle,  but  they  are  as 
unable  to  rise  above  their  condition,  as  the  fever 
patient  is  to  overcome  his,  by  physical  effort.  The 
natural  tenderness  and  affection  of  the  man  is  of 
little  avail. 


A  FAULTY  SYSTEM. 

In  this  view  of  the  subject  we  are  asked,  “  Why, 
if  men  are  thus  overcome,  and  irresponsible,  do  our 
statutes  condemn  and  punish  ?”  We  answer,  for  the 
reason  that,  in  the  present  system  of  faulty  govern¬ 
ment  upon  the  liquor  question,  there  seems  to  be  no 
other  remedy.  The  laws  generally  allow  the  liquors 
to  be  made  and  sold — therefore  the  distiller  and 
dealer  are  under  their  protection.  But  the  poor 
victim  of  these  soul  and  body  destroyers,  are  with¬ 
out  the  least  protection.  He  can  go  into  the  tavern, 
or  saloon,  and  be  legally  poisoned  and  crazed,  so  that 


102 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


he  morally  ceases  to  be  responsible,  and  yet  be  made 
to  suffer  the  consequences  of  his  irrational,  criminal 
acts.  When  it  can  be  shown,  as  has  been,  that  out 
of  one  hundred  per  cent,  of  the  murders  in  New 
York  city,  at  least  ninety-live  per  cent,  are  the  re¬ 
sult  of  drunkenness,  it  becomes  thinking  men  to  in¬ 
quire  whether  it  was  really  the  man  or  the  whiskey 
— the  consumers,  or  the  vendors  and  producers,  who 
perpetrated  the  crimes.  Surely,  where  the  result  is 
so  overwhelmingly  against  liquor,  the  conclusion  is 
unavoidable,  that  the  wrong  men  were  made  to 
suffer.  But,  then,  as  matters  stand,  the  creature  of 
his  appetite  alone  can  be  held  to  account.  We 
compassionate  every  culprit,  however  heinous  his 
crime,  who  can  truly  plead  drunkenness  in  palliation 
of  his  acts.  To  our  mind,  it  is  something  of  a  valid 
plea,  the  press  and  people,  generally,  to  the  contrary r 
notwithstanding. 

WRONG  IN  PRACTICE. 

We  are  asked  again,  “  Is  not  this  an  argument  in 
favor  of  the  Prohibitionists?”  No,  certainly  not  i 
They  are  right  in  principle,  but  unwise  and  indis¬ 
creet  in  practice.  The  few  cannot  control  the 
many.  Public  sentiment  cannot  be  outraged,  by 
the  only  representatives  of  its  voice  and  will,  with 
impunity.  It  would  be  as  easy  to  overcome  the 
use  and  abuse  of  liquor,  in  the  present  condition  of 
the  popular  mind,  by  legislative  enactments,  as  to 
pull  down  the  skies.  It  is  an  impossible  thing,  and 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


108 


the  labors  and  arguments  of  the  prohibitionists  are 
not  only  ridiculous,  but  they  greatly  hinder,  at  a 
time  like  this,  the  devoutly  to  be  wished  for  result. 
The  masses  must  first  be  educated  up  to  that  point, 
at  which  the  influence  of  the  manufacturer,  vendor 
and  consumer  is  at  a  discount. 

In  reference  to  this  subject,  and,  at  the  risk  of  the 
charge  of  a  partial  digression,  we  will  insert  here 
the  following  extract  from  an  able  paper  prepared 
by  the  venerable  and  estimable  editor  of  the  “  Re¬ 
formed  Church  Messenger,”  Rev.  Samuel  R.  Fisher, 
D.  D., — a  man  who  has  throughout  his  life  battled 
nobly  against  rum — and  read  before  the  Temperance 
Convention  at  Sea  Grove,  N.  J.,  some  time  since : 

MUST  GO  TO  THE  FOUNTAIN  HEAD. 

“  To  get  public  sentiment  right  on  this  subject, 
we  must,  however  humiliating  the  very  thought,  go 
back  to  first  principles,  as  they  prevailed  in  the 
earlier  part  of  the  campaign  against  intemperance. 
We  must  commence  at  the  very  fountain  head  of 
all  public  morals.  The  Church,  God’s  great  institu¬ 
tion  and  agency  for  moral  reform,  must  be  brought 
into  its  proper  relation  to  the  mighty  evil,  and  in¬ 
duced  to  use  its  influence  and  power  for  its  sup¬ 
pression.  Hot  only  its  ministry,  the  organs  of  its 
divine  functions,  but  its  membership,  also,  should  be 
prevailed  upon  to  adopt  the  principle  of  abstinence 
from  the  use  of  intoxicating  liquors  as  a  beverage, 
and  to  enforce  its  observance  by  example  as  well  as 
by  precept. 


104 


THE  TRUE  P  ATH. 


“The  youth  and  children  of  the  Church  should 
likewise  have  the  principle  instilled  into  their  minds 
by  the  training  they  receive  in  the  family,  and  in  the 
Sunday-School,  as  well  as  through  the  direct  teach¬ 
ing  of  the  Church. 

a  I  have  no  confidence  in  the  success  of  any  means 
employed  for  the  promotion  of  public  morals,  though 
it  may  assume  a  Christian  name,  which  professes  to 
prosecute  its  work  independent  of  the  agency  of  the 
Church,  or  even  by  methods  antagonistic  to  it.  If 
the  Church,  the  greatest  fountain  head  of  morals,  be 
once  fully  brought  into  right  relations  to  the  evils 
of  intemperance,  the  furtherance  of  the  work  of  re¬ 
form  will  be  greatly  facilitated.  And,  until  this 
be  doue,  little  of  a  substantial  nature  can  be  accom¬ 
plished. 

AUXILIARIES. 

“Other  proper  appliances,  outside  of  the  Church, 
must  be  brought  to  co-operate  with  it,  and  diligently 
employed  to  promote  the  same  great  end.  These  are 
the  press,  the  public  lecture,  and  the  various  tem¬ 
perance  associations  of  a  proper  character.  They 
cannot  be  too  diligently,  or  too  faithfully,  applied. 
They  must  not,  however,  be  used  in  a  way  that 
would  antagonize  them  to  the  Church,  or  place 
them  in  an  attitude  that  would  indicate  that  they 
are  intended  to  supersede  or  even  supplement  its 
functions.  They  are  to  be  employed  only  as  aux¬ 
iliary  to  it,  in  its  efforts  to  accomplish  its  objects,  as 
the  great  conservator  of  public  morals. 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


105 


u  Much  harm  has  been  done  to  the  cause,  in  the 
past,  by  failing  to  observe  this  principle,  in  the  use 
of  some  of  the  appliances  brought  forward  by  the 
friends  of  Temperance  for  the  suppression  of  the 
evils  flowing  from  the  use  of  intoxicating  liquors/' 
To  all  the  sentiments,  expressed  in  these  para¬ 
graphs,  we  heartily  subscribe.  They  conform  pre¬ 
cisely  to  the  opinions  generally  held  by  the  friends 
of  Gospel  reform. 

A  SUFFERING  FAMILY. 

But,  we  will  return  to  Portland.  The  weary  and 
anxious  mind  of  Mr.  Murphy  was  almost  constantly 
upon  his  household.  He  realized  their  dependent 
condition,  and  the  fact  of  their  constant  suffering. 
His  soul  agonized  greatly  in  their  behalf.  His  wife 
had  borne  him  seven  children — six  of  whom  were 
about  her  and  helpless.  She  was  a  patient,  sincere 
Christian,  but  the  ordeal  through  which  she  was 
passing,  she  felt,  was  too  severe. 

And  so  it  was.  Mrs.  Murphy  saw  constant  dark¬ 
ness.  Her  faith  in  God  had  alone  kept  her  thus 
far.  But  her  care  and  trials  were  great, and  beyond 
endurance.  Physically  she  was  breaking.  The  race 
of  life  could  not  long  continue  under  such  strain. 
Would  there  be  no  dawn  this  side  of  the  grave? 


106 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


CHAPTER  X. 

CAPTAIN  CYRUS  STURDIVANT. 

In  preparing  men  for,  and  leading  them  into, 
great  events,  God  employs  instruments.  It  matters 
not  how  manifest  may  be  his  purposes,  or  how  cir¬ 
cuitous  and  mysterious  the  paths  of  the  ones  selected, 
down  somewhere  in  it  all  is  an  Israelitish  maid  to 
direct,  or  an  Ananias  to  put  his  hands  upon  them. 

The  case  of  Mr.  Murphy  was  to  be  no  exception 
to  this.  There  was  an  important  life  before  him, 
and  an  efficient  person  was  now  commissioned  to 
direct  him  to  it.  That  person  was  Captain  Cyrus 
Sturdivant.  He  knew  of  the  unlimited  power  of 
the  gospel  to  save  from  the  meshes  of  sin.  And  he 
understood  its  ability  to  destroy  the  last  remains  of 
the  carnal  nature.  Prompted  one  day  by  the  Divine 
Spirit  to  exert  his  influence,  if  possible,  among  the 
poor  victims  imprisoned  in  the  jail,  he  applied  to 
the  sheriff  for  permission  to  come  and  talk  with 
them.  This  was  granted.  And,  as  to  the  conse¬ 
quences  of  this  man’s  visit  and  labor,  we  prefer  here 
to  repeat  the  somewhat  thrilling  story  of  Mr.  Mur- 
phy  : 

44  To  Captain  Sturdivant,”  said  he,  44  If  I  have 
been  of  any  use  in  the  world,  under  God,  I  owe  all 
of  it.  He  commenced  his  work  on  the  Sabbath  day. 
The  great,  dark  entrance  door  was  opened  to  the 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


10  T 


Christian  people.  Quite  a  number  had  collected 
together,  and  they  came  in  singing, — 


“  ‘  All  hail  the  power  of  Jesus’  name ; 
Let  angels  prostrate  fall ; 

Bring  forth  the  royal  diadem, 

And  crown  him  Lord  of  all,  &c.’ 


RELIGIOUS  SERVICES  IN  THE  JAIL. 

44  I  was  sitting  on  the  little  iron  bedstead  in  my 
cell,  when  the  keeper  came  to  the  door  and,  looking 
at  me,  said  : 

44 4  Mr.  Murphy,  we  would  like  to  have  you  come 
out  and  attend  religious  service.’ 

444  Tlease  excuse  me,  I  will  remain  here  and  not 
disturb  your  people,’  was  my  prompt  reply. 

44 4  Come  out,  these  people  are  your  friends,  they 
will  not  injure  you,’  persisted  the  keeper. 

44  There  was  something  so  kind  and  agreeable  in 
the  face  of  the  man,  that  it  produced  a  disposition 
of  assent  within  me,  and  touched  my  heart.  Yet 
my  answer  was, — 

44  4  1  would  sooner  stay  here.’  • 

44  4  Come  on,  Mr.  Murphy,’  he  continued. 

44 At  this,  I  concluded  I  would  go.  Oh,  how  my 
heart  had  ached  for  a  kind  word ;  for  some  one  to* 
say,  4  Can  I  do  anything  for  you  ?  ’  I  then  re¬ 
sponded, 

44  4  1  will  go  out  with  you,  I  believe.’ 


108 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


MR.  MURPHY  ATTENDS  THE  MEETING. 

u  I  arose  from  my  seat,  stepped  out  the  little  open 
door,  walked  along  about  ten  paces,  and  sat  down 
with  the  rest  of  the  prisoners.  There  was  Captain 
Cyrus  Sturdivant.  His  back  was  turned  toward 
me  as  I  walked  along  the  corridor.  He  appeared 
to  me  then  as  a  larger  man  than  he  is  just  now. 
When  he  turned  about  he  was  weeping  as  a  mother 
sometimes  weeps  for  her  child.  As  I  looked  at  his 
face,  I  asked  myself,  4  Who  is  he  weeping  for;  has 
he  lost  a  son  V  Ho,  it  was  evident  that  he  had  a 
heart  for  others.  He  was  telling  of  God’s  goodness. 
His  words  were  very  sweet  to  me.  He  spoke  to  us 
of  hungry  wives  and  children.  And,  at  that  mo¬ 
ment,  it  seemed  I  could  see  my  poor  wife  and  chil¬ 
dren  before  me.  As  he  continued  to  talk, it  seemed 
to  me  that  my  imagination  never  realized  so  power¬ 
fully,  as  it  did  at  that  time,  the  presence  of  the 
objects  of  my  affections.  My  children  seemed  to  be 
about  me;  and  my  dear  wife  to  stand  in  my  pre¬ 
sence,  as  calm  and  patient  as  ever,  saying  not  one 
word.  I  queried,  6  Does  anyone  care  for  me?’ — 4 1 
wonder  if  there  is  a  friendly  hand  here  to  be  ex¬ 
tended  to  me  ?  ’  And  I  said  to  myself,  4  Oh  what 
would  I  not  give  to  sit  down  with  that  man  and  tell 
him  the  sorrow  of  my  heart.’  Nobody  said  anything 
to  me,  and  I  spoke  to  no  one.  In  spite  of  myself 
the  tears  would  course  down  my  cheeks. 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


109> 


A  TRUE  FRIEND. 

“After  the  meeting  I  desired  to  hurriedly  get 
away.  I  wanted  to  get  into  the  little  dark  room, 
out  of  sight,  so  that  I  could,  in  some  way,  give  ex¬ 
pression  to  the  grief  that  was  almost  consuming  me. 
I  was  walking  along  the  corridor,  when  a  step  came 
after  me,  followed  quickly  with  a  tap  on  my  shoul¬ 
der.  My  hand  was  instantly  seized,  and  Captain 
Sturdivant  stood  "before  me.'’ 

It  is  but  proper,  we  think,  that  this  interesting 
narrative  should  be  interrupted  here  with  a  view  to 
the  offering  of  a  few  sentences  of  comment.  In  just 
such  a  way  does  every  true  friend  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
work.  Not  for  self ;  not  for  appearance  or  reputa¬ 
tion.  But,  tearing  away  from  his  surroundings ; 
leaving  his  friends  and  helpers  to  care  for  themselves; 
he  springs  in  the  direction  of  the  perishing. 

The  recital  of  the  good  man’s  course  reminds  us, 
greatly,  of  the  bravery  and  sacrifice  that  attaches  to 
the  noble  creature  who  leaps  into  the  sea  to  save  a 
human  life.  True,  there  is  not  the  same  risk ;  but 
there  is  the  «ame  impulse,  and  a  Christian  courage 
— that  highest  development  of  all  that  is  good  in 
man — that  always  endures  the  test  more  than  any¬ 
thing  of  the  natural  mind.  Such  men  deserve  the 
love  and  esteem  of  all  Christians,  and  will  assuredly 
receive  even  a  more  glorious  recompense  at  the 
hands  of  the  righteous  judge,  when  he  shall  come. 


110 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


VALUABLE  MEN. 

Nowhere  can  better,  firmer  friends  of  all  mankind 
be  found,  than  among  those  who  labor  down  in  the 
ranks  of  the  poor  and  fallen  ;  who  go  out  into  the 
alleys,  lanes  and  by-ways,  and  down  into  the  huts, 
sheds  and  cellars,  or  out  into  the  market  places  and 
prisons,  after  souls.  We  honor  them,  in  our  hearts, 
whatever  their  creed,  or  position,  or  education,  or 
previous  life.  We  look  up  to  the  pulpit,  and  say 
from  force  of  circumstances — sometimes  quite  chari¬ 
tably — they  are  men,  and  friends,  of  God.  But  we 
look  out  upon  the  humble  evangelists  and  missiona¬ 
ries  of  the  Cross  and  say,  from  impulse,  they  are 
friends  of  God  and  man. 

Such  persons  should  never  be  allowed  to  hide 
themselves  away  from  us.  The  world  is  in  want  of 
all  their  friendship,  actively  exercised.  To  under¬ 
value  them  appears  to  be  tantamount  to  wickedness. 
To  disregard  their  worth  is  to  refuse  to  gather  the 
gold  that  lies  about  our  pathways.  A  single  one  of 
such  men  is  more  than  all  earthly  treasures,  from 
the  cattle  upon  a  thousand  hills  to  the  great  metal¬ 
lic  veins  that  course  the  geological  eras  of  the  globe. 
Is  there  cause  for  dislike,  or  envy  among  such  as 
hold  higher  places?  Speedily  remove  it.  Rather, 
pray  God  to  heal  your  heart,  than  that  you  should 
use  indifference  or  coldness  toward  them.  Good 
men — those  who  are  deeply  such,  in  the  work  of 
their  lives — are  always  scarce.  They  merit  recogni- 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


Ill 


tion,  encouragement  and  universal  respect.  There 
is  much  of  kindness  among  men,  and  no  bounds  to 
the  vast  amount  of  individual  friendships.  But  the 
genuine  friends  of  our  common  humanity  are  like 
finest-carat  diamonds — very  rare  ami  worthful. 

THERE  IS  HOPE  FOR  YOU. 

We  will  now  return  to  Mr.  Murphy’s  story  : 

44  The  first  words  of  Captain  Sturdivant  to  me 
were, — 

‘“lam  sorry  to  see  you  here.  Would  you  not 
like  to  be  sober,  as  you  once  were,  and  stop  the 
business  of  selling  liquor,  and  be  at  home  with  your 
wife  and  children  ?  ’ 

44 4  Yes,  I  would  like  to  be  respected.  I  do  not 
want  to  be  in  the  business  of  selling  liquor.  But,’ 
after  a  slight  pause,  I  continued,  4  hardly  a  hope 
remains  for  me.’ 

“Upon  this  reply,  the  good  hearted  man  immedi¬ 
ately  pulled  me  close  to  his  side,  and  said : 

44  4  There  is  hope  for  you;  and,  if  you  will  only 
make  an  effort  to  help  yourself,  we  will  help  you; 
and  God  will  help  you.’ 

44  Oh,  how  sweetly  these  words  came  to  my  heart. 
I  shall  never  forget  them.  And  as  I  looked  up,  and 
into  his  face,  I  saw  the  tears  coursing  thick  and  fast 
down  his  cheeks.  Then  I  said  to  myself, 4  God  help¬ 
ing  me,  I  will  make  an  effort  to  become  a  sober 
man.’  And,  I  can  say,  I  secured  the  victory  over 
the  terrible  evil  of  intemperance  through  the  kindly 
touch  and  words  of  this  Christian.” 


112 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


POWER  OF  KINDNESS. 

It  may  be  well  here  to  indulge  in  a  passing  reflec¬ 
tion  upon  the  power  of  kindness.  A  single  word., 
and  even  look,  rightly  and  timely  given,  has  not 
only  brought  light  and  salvation  to  a  soul,  but  been 
the  means,  in  the  end,  of  lifting  hundreds  and  thou  - 
sands  from  the  sloughs  of  sin  to  the  Rock  of  right - 
eousness — from  deep  depravity  to  true  manhood. 

The  brief  work  of  Capt.  Sturdivant,  and  its  re-, 
suits,  calls  to  mind  another  instance  of  the  glorious 
consequences  of  a  few  kind  words : 

On  a  certain  Sabbath  evening,  many  years  ago, — 
perhaps  twenty-five  or  thirty — a  reckless  young  man 
w’as  idly  lounging  under  the  elm  trees  in  the  public 
square  of  Worcester,  Massachusetts.  He  had  become 
a  wretched  waif  on  the  current  of  sin.  His  days 
were  spent  in  the  waking  remorse  oft  he  drunkard  ; 
his  nights  were  passed  in  the  buffooneries  of  an  ale¬ 
house.  As  he  sauntered  along,  out  of  humor  with 
himself  and  with  all  mankind,  a  kind  voice  saluted 
him.  A  stranger  laid  his  hand  on  his  shoulder,  and 
said  in  cordial  tones,  u  Mr.  Gough,  go  down  to  our 
meeting  at  the  town-hall  to-night.”  A  brief  con¬ 
versation  followed,  so  winning  in  its  character,  that 
the  reckless  youth  consented  to  go.  He  went ;  he 
heard  the  appeals  there  made.  With  trembling 
hand  he  signed  the  pledge  of  total  abstinence.  By 
God’s  help  he  kept  it,  and  keeps  it  yet. 

The  poor  boot-crimper  who  tapped  him  on  the 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


113 


shoulder,  good  Joel  Stratton,  has  gone  to  heaven. 
But  the  youth  he  saved  is  to-day  the  foremost  of  re¬ 
formers  on  the  face  of  the  globe. 

Methinks,  when  we  listen  to  the  thunders  of  ap¬ 
plause  that  greet  John  B.  Gough  on  the  platform, 
we  are  hearing  the  echoes  of  that  tap  on  the  shoulder, 
and  of  that  kind  invitation  under  the  ancient  elms 
of  Worcester. 


LITTLE  THINGS. 

Thus,  also,  when  we  see  the  crowds  of  drinking 
men  walk  from  their  slavery,  with  even  the  chains 
clanking  about  their  feet,  into  the  moral  air  and 
freedom  of  gospel  temperance,  we  seem  to  hear  from 
the  corridor  of  the  Portland  jail  the  kindly  fall  of 
Capt.  Sturdivant’s  hand  upon  the  shoulder  of  the 
coming  reformer.  And  the  conclusion  imposed  upon 
us  is,  that  we  would  rather  have  the  reward,  that 
comes  of  that  little  act,  than  enjoy  the  highest  place, 
with  all  its  best  honors  and  emoluments,  in  the  gift 
of  any  nation  or  age. 

Little  things !  How  the  thoughts  of  them  crowd 
our  mind.  They,  the  means  usually  employed  by 
Jehovah  in  the  production  of  the  most  wonderful 
events.  They  rise  up  along  side  the  honored  and 
well-heralded  things  of  life,  and  throw  their  mightier 
shadows  across  them.  They  have  often  their  origin 
in  the  brain  of  childhood,  and  eventually  wind  their 
slender  threads  about  households,  social  systems  and 

nations,  until  the  whole  world  of  hearts  are  all 

8 


114 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


haunted  by  their  memories.  In  truth,  we  are  prone 
to  believe  that  all  things  truly  great  are  but  grown 
up  little  things. 

Shall  we  not  regard  them,  then  ?  Shall  we  not 
tap  a  poor  fallen  man  on  the  shoulder  in  behalf  of 
a  great  suffering  humanity  ?  Shall  we  not  offer 
a  tear  on  the  side  of  devoted  mothers  and  loved 
ones  in  heaven  ?  Is  it,  finally,  not  better  that  we 
should  engage  at  every  possible  opportunity  in  doing 
some  little  thing  for  Christ,  and  for  souls,  than  that 
we  should  idle  away  our  lives  in  failures  at  so-called 
big  things  ? 


NOBLE  FEELINGS. 

Again,  taking  up  our  narrative,  do  we  not  see 
how  noble  feelings  are  aroused  under  heavenly  influ¬ 
ences — how  graces,  which  do  not  thrive  and  bloom 
in  the  hot  blaze  of  the  world,  can  be  brought  into 
full  play,  down  about  the  grates  and  bars  of  even 
prison  life.  For,  as  Capt.  Sturdivant  was  about  to 
leave  Mr.  Murphy,  after  the  very  limited  interview 
described,  the  latter  imploringly  asked: 

<u  Will  you  please  go  and  see  my  wife  aud  tell  her 
to  keep  up  courage  ?  ’ 

1  will/  was  the  quick  and  earnest  response. 

“‘And  will  you  come  and  see  me,  again,’  rejoined 
Mr.  Murphy,  as  his  visitor  was  passing  out,  his 
countenance  and  his  whole  demeanor  betokening 
the  deep  interest  felt  in  the  request. 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


115 


“  GOD  BLESS  YOU  !  ” 

44  4  0,  Yes  I  I  will  come  and  see  you  again.  And 
may  God  bless  you ! ’  were  the  hurried  words  of  the 
great  and  good  man  as  he  passed  out  of  the  door.” 

Capt.  Sturdivant  was  gone.  Not  so  his  last  words. 
They  rang  in  the  ears  of  the  prisoner,  until  their  vi¬ 
brations  spread  through  every  avenue  and  recess  of 
the  soul.  They  recalled  the  mother’s  blessing,  in  the 
cottage  by  the  sea,  and  the  well-formed  but  long- 
neglected  purposes  of  the  ambitious  Irish  boy.  44  God 
bless  you  !  ”  seemed  to  fill  his  cell.  The  words  lin¬ 
gered  with  him  during  the  remainder  of  that  solemn 
holy  day.  And  at  evening,  when  alone,  in  the  deep¬ 
ness  of  his  sorrow,  and  when  the  Spirit  of  Evil 
came  to  him,  as  frequently  before,  and  said,  44  You 
have  no  friends;  there  are  none  you  can  trust,”  a 
beautiful  form  immediately  came  and  ministered 
unto  him,  and  said,  “  God  bless  you  !  ” 


CHAPTER  XI. 

A  WEEK  OF  SUFFERING. 

A  long  week  had  now  bes;un  its  round  in  the 
prison.  Mr.  Murphy  hourly,  as  time  heavily 
dragged  along,  had  his  mind  upon  his  family. 
While  the  woe  of  his  own  heart  began  to  oppress 
him,  he  more  keenly  felt  for  that  of  those  dear  to 
him,  and  upon  whom  he  had  placed  the  most  griev- 


116 


THE  TKUE  PATH. 


ous  and  grinding  of  burdens.  Ilis  sins  appeared 
more  fearful  than  ever.  A  mountain  of  evil,  suffi¬ 
cient  to  overwhelm  him  at  every  turn,  met  his 
thoughts.  How  could  he  flee  his  degradation? 
Was  there  no  place  of  comfort  ?  "Would  his  punish¬ 
ment  never  end  ? 

These,  and  similar  thoughts,  troubled  him  each 
day  ;  and  thus,  so  fevered  and  perturbed  had  his 
mind  become,  before  the  hours  of  rest  arrived,  that 
he  paced  the  little  cell,  throughout  whole  nights, 
suffering  most  exquisite  anguish.  He  fancied  he 
heard  the  pleading  voices  of  the  little  home  circle; 
that  he  saw  the  pale  visage  of  her  whom  he  had 
sworn  to  love,  comfort,  honor,  and  keep,  in  sickness 
and  health;  and,  that  he  especially  heard  the  call 
of  the  little  boy,  whom  his  heart  most  dearly  loved, 
close  by  him,  in  his  room. 

He  has  assured  us  that,  after,  at  several  times, 
lying  down  awhile,  he  has  gotten  up  and  walked 
about  his  cell  as  if  in  search  of  his  child,  and  felt 
impressed  that  the  little  fellow  must  be  at  hand, 
and  could  almost  be  seen.  At  such  times,  there 
were  two  sentences  to  recall  him  to  his  lonely  situa¬ 
tion,  and  soften  its  severity, — the  one,  the  kind  re¬ 
mark,  44  There  is  hope  for  you ;  ”  the  other,  the 
solacing  words,  44  God  bless  you  !  ” 

THE  WORDS  PUT  INTO  HIS  MOUTH. 

Here  we  catch  unmistakable  glimpses  of  the  facts 
that  Captain  Sturdivant  was  first  led  by  the  Spirit 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


117 


to  this  apostle,  for  his  awakening ;  and  that  the 
words  were  put.  into  his  mouth,  by  which  the  great 
soul  should  be  fitly  leavened  for  the  approaching 
Sabbath.  Of  all  other  things,  which  might  have 
been  uttered,  wre  incline  to  the  belief  that  nothing 
else  than  was  uttered  could  have  been  equally 
effective.  In  Mr.  Murphy’s  case  they  were  all 
potent,  and  the  words  of  Infinite  Wisdom. 

The  instruction  of  Christ,  “  Take  no  thought  how 
or  what  ye  shall  speak  ;  for  it  shall  be  given  you  in 
that  same  hour  what  ye  shall  speak,”  were  to  the 
disciples  at  first.  But,  as  the  whole  range  of  God’s 
teachings  and  promises,  they  were  as  well  to  their 
followers  and  the  Church  forever.  When  men, 
with  great  confidence  in  human  knowledge,  exhaust 
their  best  efforts  of  mind  in  a  thorough  preparation 
for  Christian  work,  they  of  necessity  antagonize 
the  injunction. 

We  feel  led  here  to  step  out  further,  into  a  some¬ 
what  side  issue,  and  ask,  Why  was  it  said  u  Take 
no  thought  how  or  what  ye  shall  say  ?  ”  Why, 
also,  u  In  that  same  hour  ?  ”  Why  should  the 
Master  have  enjoined  these  things  except  for  high, 
important,  and  most  sacred  reasons?  And,  if  so 
essential  in  the  proclamation  of  Divine  Truth,  then, 
is  it  not  equally  so  now  ? 

INFLUENCES  OF  THE  SPIRIT  ESSENTIAL. 

Do  men  say,  however,  that  the  demands  of  edu¬ 
cation — of  circumspection  in  theological  and  philo- 


118 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


sophical  discussion — in  these  times,  are  such  as  to 
require  great  precision  and  preparation  ?  We  reply 
that  the  very  claim  is  profane  in  character.  It 
assumes  that  the  wisdom  and  preparation  of  man, 
under  an  educated  system,  is  above  that  of  the 
Holy  Ghost. 

No,  in  these  days,  when  sophistry  and  skepticism 
are  highly  skilled,  more  than  in  those  of  man’s 
comparative  ignorance,  do  we  need  the  enlightening 
influences  of  God.  And,  at  no  time  do  we  require 
to  lean  more  heavily  and  perfectly  upon  the  guid¬ 
ance  of  the  Spirit,  in  all  our  thoughts,  than  when 
the  Church  is  well  burdened  with  commentaries 
and  criticisms,  and  when  these  stand  in  about  as 
close  proximity,  oftentimes,  as  the  North  and  South 
Pole.  We  greatly  prefer  the  Bible  with  prayer,  to 
the  Bible  and  all  other  human  means — especially  to 
the  taking  of  thought  how  or  what ,  and  then  doing 
it  for  a  whole  week  or  month  beforehand. 

Another  fact,  is  evidence,  per  se,  of  the  correctness 
of  these  views.  It  is,  that  when  devout  believers 
have  tested  for  any  reasonable  time,  and  under  rea¬ 
sonable  circumstances,  the  two  methods,  they  have 
promptly  and  freely  decided  in  favor  of  the  Spirit 
doing  the  work,  in  His  own  way,  and  in  the  self¬ 
same  hour. 


PLAN  TO  BE  ADHERED  TO. 

Before  leaving  these  thoughts,  we  will  remark, 
that  we  admit  the  necessity  of  a  certain  method  of 
preparation  for  gospel  labor,  we  understand  the 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


119 


u  how,”  or  “  what  ”  to  refer  to  the  language  and 
subject-matter.  We  require  arrangement  of  subject. 
It  were  foolish  to  question  it.  But  there  is  a  prepara¬ 
tion  that  is  as  high  as  the  Holy  Spirit ;  a  preparation 
as  frequently  slighted  by  preachers,  as  regular  means 
of  grace  are  by  laymen.  We  may  learn  the  wisdom 
of  men  as  thoroughly  as  Moses  did  that  of  the  Egyp¬ 
tians.  It  will  only  place  us  at  advantage.  But  we 
must,  with  it  all,  have  the  wisdom  of  God. 

In  the  work  of  the  church,  and  particularly  in  the 
sacred  desk,  all  idea  of  appearing  to  advantage,  of 
saying  fine  things,  beautiful  things,  sensational 
things,  and  hitting  things,  is  preposterously  absurd 
and  should  be  abandoned.  The  man  should  be 
hidden,  and  Christ  held  up.  The  advice  of  Jesus, 
in  brief,  should  be  obeved  to  the  full  extent  of  its 
import,  that  we  should  “take  no  thought  as  to  how 
or  what And  if  this  were  adhered  to,  the  remain¬ 
der  of  the  sentence — “  For  it  shall  be  given  you  in 
that  same  hour,  what”  &c. — would  harmonize  with 
pulpit  experiences.  One  result,  at  least,  inevitably, 
wotfld  be,  a  mighty  tearing  down  of  the  strongholds 
of  sin.  And  still  another,  and  important  one,  that 
unconverted  and  ungodly  men  would  flee  the  sacred 
calling  as  speedily  as  certain  little  rodents  are  said 
to  flee  a  burning  store-house,  or  sinking  ship. 

A  NOTABLE  DAY. 

As  we  have  said,  at  the  beginning  of  this  chapter, 
time  hung  heavily  upon  our  subject  in  the  Portland 
prison.  He  anxiously  awaited  the  developments  of 


120 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


another  holy  day,  and  looked  with  a  peculiar  eager¬ 
ness  toward  it.  At  last,  after  a  partial  rest  the 
previous  night,  it  opened  beautifully  and  brightly. 
And  now,  that  we  may  omit  nothing  from  the  most 
important  feature  in  this  biography,  we  will  give 
the  revelations  of  Mr.  Murphy,  as  he  has  one  by  one 
unfolded  them  in  their  proper  order — doubtless  fur¬ 
nishing  everything  of  any  especial  value  in  connec¬ 
tion  with  that  most  notable  event : 

“  The  Sabbath  day  came  and  great  interest  was 
shown  throughout  the  city.  It  was  generally  known 
that  the  Christian  people  had  commenced  to  worship 
in  the  jail.  A  large  number  of  people  early  gathered 
about  the  building.  They  principally  came  to  join 
in  the  worship  of  God,  and,  you  may  rest  assured 
there  was  quite  a  crowd. 

GREAT  RELIGIOUS  MEETING  IN  JAIL. 

“  I  did  not  suppose  that  my  wife  would  come  to 
see  me.  At  least  I  hoped  she  would  not.  But  it 
was  ordered  otherwise.  Of  course  I  knew  that,  out 
of  the  gladness  of  her  heart,  she  would  come,  if  it 
did  not  occur  to  her  how  painful  it  would  be  to  me 
to  see  her  at  such  a  place  and  under  such  surround¬ 
ings.  But  it  seems  that  where  hearts  are  true  they 
cannot  easily  be  separated.  Prison  doors  cannot 
long  keep  them  apart.  You  may  even  put  a  man 
on  the  gallows,  the  redeeming  power  of  love  will 
<elaim  its  own. 

“  The  doors  of  the  prison  were  soon  opened  wide, 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


121 


and  a  continuous  line  of  people  entered.  How  dif¬ 
ferent  my  feelings  now  from  those  I  had,  at  the  same 
hour,  one  week  previous.  I  actually  longed  to  see 
the  face  of  that  Christian  man,  Capt.  Sturdivant. 
Through  the  previous  week  I  prayed  from  my  heart, 
while  alone  in  my  cell,  that  God  would  send  him  to 
me.  I  longed  for  some  friendly  hand,  and  for  de¬ 
liverance,  so  that  I  might,  liberated  from  all  bonds, 
go  to  my  innocent  children  and  queenly  wife. 

“  As  the  crowds  came  in  they  sang,  as  before.  It 
was  truly  a  beautiful  and  inspiring  sight.  When 
the  place  was  well  filled,  hundreds  of  people  had  to 
he  turned  away. 


ESPIED  HIS  WIFE. 

“  When  I  lifted  up  my  head  and  looked  over 
among  the  throng,  my  eyes  fell  upon  my  dear  wife. 
She  had  stepped  just  inside  the  door,  so  as  to  be  out 
of  sight  as  much  as  possible,  dear  child.  I  see  her 
sweet  face  now.  The  moment  I  looked  upon  her, 
she  stepped  aside,  to  be  away  from  my  gaze  as  soon 
as  possible.  The  little  children  were  with  her. 
They  had  hold  of  their  mother's  dress  and  I  could 
see  them  looking  through  the  audience  to  see  where 
their  father  was. 

u  As  I  was,  seated  there  on  that  occasion,  I  felt  in 
my  heart  that  I  would  have  thanked  God,  had  he 
taken  me  to  himself  in  an  instant  of  time.  My  experi¬ 
ence  was  of  such  a  terribly  painful  nature,  that  my 
poverty  of  language  forbids  me  to  attempt  a  descrip¬ 
tion  of  it. 


122 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


44  When  I  saw  my  wife,  her  lips  parted,  and  her 
eyes  filled  with  tears.  I  had  just  taken  my  seat, 
and  kept  looking  at  my  children.  Truly,  I  realized 
that  my  life  was  far  from  desirable. 

A  BOUQUET  AND  A  FOND  MEETING. 

44  At  this  point,  my  oldest  daughter,  Mary,  who 
was  then  ten  years  of  age,  parted  from  her  mother 
and  pressed  along  through  the  audience.  She  had 
a  beautiful  bouquet  in  her  hand.  Evidently  she  had 
brought  it  to  her  father.  I  saw  that  the  face  of  the 
dear  child  had  become  as  white  as  linen.  Soon  she 
was  at  my  side.  She  tried  to  shake  hands  with  me, 
but  standing  as  she  was,  she  could  not  very  well, 
and,  passing  her  arms  around  my  neck,  she  said  : 

44  4  Father,  oh,  father,  we  have  been  lonesome  for 
you!’ 

44  4  Daughter,  I  have  been  lonesome  for  you,’  I 
replied,  and,  at  once,  added,  4  and  God  helping  I 
shall  make  an  effort  to  be  a  sober  man.’  ” 

Following  this  scene,  we  are  drawn  toward  the 
assemblage  of  people  on  every  hand.  A  lively  inter¬ 
est  was  apparent  upon  their  countenances.  Here 
and  there  a  few  quietly  engaged  in  an  occasional 
interchange  of  remarks.  But  the  most  attractive 
circumstances  of  the  hour  were  those  which  con¬ 
cerned  the  numerous  prisoners  present.  As  the 
daughter  of  the  ex-landlord  and  saloon-keeper 
pushed  along  through  the  gathering  toward  her 
father,  having  her  bouquet  in  hand,  not  a  few  eyes 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


12^ 


followed  her  and  scanned  closely  the  meeting  of  the 
two,  together  with  its  little  phases  and  effects.  Not 
a  few  persons  were  moved  to  tears,  and  perceptably 
agitated. 

The  worship  of  God  had  begun.  It  was  impres¬ 
sive,  and  of  quite  a  spiritual  character.  The  sing- 
ing,  prayers,  and  remarks  were  highly  interesting 
and  important,  and  contributed  greatly  toward  the 
softening  of  hearts  that  heretofore  were  stoical  in 
such  things.  The  visitors  knew  full  well  that  their 
labors  were  not  in  vain,  and  would  surely  be  at¬ 
tended  with  good  consequences  in  the  end. 

SOUGHT  OUT  BY  A  LOVING  COMPANY. 

We  cannot  here  notice  the  various  incidents  of 
the  services,  as  it  is  our  business  to  record  only  those 
things  which  concern  the  subject  of  our  biography. 
Capt.  Sturdivant,  with  others,  had  become  deeply 
interested  in  the  case  of  Mr.  Murphy.  His  case  was 
an  important  one.  He  was  well  known,  and,  doubt¬ 
less,  many  prayers  had  ascended  within  a  short  time 
in  his  behalf.  As  soon,  therefore,  as  the  services 
had  concluded,  he  was  sought  out  by  the  good  man, 
as  well  as  by  his  devoted  wife  and  children.  And 
these  in  the  anxiousness  of  their  souls,  accompanied 
him  to  his  little  cell,  there  to  sympathize  with  and 
cheer  him  in  his  desires  to  attain  to  firm  and  deep 
resolves  against  his  former  mode  of  life. 

Can  any  one,  this  side  actual  experience,  form  an 
intelligent  opinion  of  the  thoughts  and  emotions 


124 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


which  crowded  the  breasts  of  that  living  company, 
as,  one  by  one,  they  stepped  into  the  cold  and 
gloomy  cell  ?  It  appears  to  us  that  under  few  other 
influences  could  there  be  a  more  active  appeal  to 
general  Christian  sympathy ;  and  that  if  ever  the 
great  Divine  Heart  especially  throbbed  and  was  dis¬ 
turbed  in  behalf  of  poor,  unfortunate  creatures,  it 
was  on  this  solemn  Sabbath  occasion. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

PRAYER-MEETING  IN  THE  DARK  DUNGEON. 

A  feeling  of  sacredness,  bordering  upon  awe, 
belongs  to  this  portion  of  our  narrative.  When 
people,  singly,  go  into  their  closets  to  commune 
with  God,  they  cannot  but  realize  that,  being  alone 
with  their  Almighty  Helper,  a  deep  solemnity  at¬ 
taches  to  the  service.  A  species  of  peculiar  sanctity 
is  in  the  air  they  breathe.  But,  when  we  go  down 
to  the  dungeon,  in  the  prison,  and  there  behold  the 
most  loving  and  faithful  of  burdened  souls,  gathered 
about  their  fallen  husband,  father  and  friend,  for 
the  purpose  of  unitedly  appearing  before  the  King 
of  Kings,  in  petition,  we  feel  a  sense  of  oppression 
and  profound  reverence. 

A  distinguished  man  once,  upon  a  corner  of  a 
street,  in  a  European  city,  heard  the  nervous  and 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


125 


peculiarly  sweet  voice  of  a  child  engaged  at  singing 
to  God’s  praise.  His  eyes,  instantly  turned  in  the 
direction  of  the  sound,  fell  upon  a  little  blind  boy, 
whose  face  seemed  radiant  with  the  rapture  of  a 
devout  heart.  At  once  the  hat  was  removed  from 
his  head,  and  his  chin  fell  upon  his  broad  chest.  A 
passing  friend  said  to  the  man,  “  Why  stand  here  in 
the  broiling  sun  with  bared  bead  ?  Is  anything 
wrong  ?  ”  Then  looking  up,  for  the  moment,  he  re¬ 
plied,  “Do  you  hear  that  voice,  and  see  that  face? 
The  little  fellow  is  blind  to  the  wonderful  beauties 
of  this  inspiring  morning.  And,  I  said  to  myself, 
‘If  he  can  so  offer  praise,  while  denied  the  sight  of 
all  that  is  lovely  in  nature,  surely  God  must  be  very 
near.’  Therefore,  I  took  off  my  hat.” 

Here,  too,  we  feel  like  bowing  the  head,  and  fall¬ 
ing  down  before  the  Majesty  on  High. 

MR.  murphy’s  CONVERSION. 

The  worship  of  God  now  commenced  in  the  celL 
We  will  give  the  occurrences  of  the  brief  little  ser¬ 
vice,  in  the  words  of  Mr.  Murphy : 

“Capt.  Sturdivant  was  close  by  my  side.  He 
placed  his  arm  about  my  ueck,  and  said, 4  Mr. 
Murphy  give  your  heart  to  Christ  and  all  will  be 
well  with  you !  ’ 

“In  a  little  while,  my  wife  was  by  my  side,  with 
the  children. 

“  I  hardly  dared  to  look  to  heaven,  I  had  been  so 
unfortunate.  But  a  ray  of  hope  came  to  my  poor* 


126 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


aching  heart,  and  then,  with  my  poor  suffering  wife 
and  children,  we  all  knelt  down  together  upon  the 
cold,  dark  prison  floor,  and  supplicated  God’s 
Throne  for  Divine  mercy  and  grace. 

“  The  work  was  then  and  there  done.  I  arose 
from  my  knees  with  an  evidence  of  God’s  accept¬ 
ance  of  me.  Blessed  be  His  name.  I  knew,  for 
myself,  that, — 

“  He  breaks  the  power  of  cancell’d  sin  ; 

He  sets  the  prisoner  free  ; 

His  blood  can  make  the  foulest  clean  ; 

His  blood  availed  for  me  1” 

THE  NEW  BIRTH. 

In  this,  we  place  before  the  reader  the  declara¬ 
tions  of  Mr.  Murphy.  We  have  no  right  to  question 
them  for  a  moment.  And,  while  we  deplore  the  in¬ 
dulgences  of  violent  physical  effort,  in  the  work  of  the 
soul,  as  uncalled  for  and  unreasonable,  we  have  the 
most  unbounded  confidence  in  such  a  service  and 
meeting  as  occurred  in  the  Portland  prison,  and  do 
not,  for  a  moment,  doubt  the  result  claimed. 

We  believe  there  is  an  urgent  necessity,  on  the 
part  of  every  human  being,  for  a  “  new  birth  that 
it  merits  the  most  prompt  and  careful  attention  ; 
and  that  Christians  should  continually  carry  within 
them  the  evidence  and  knowledge  of  Divine  favor, 
— however  much  we  may  differ  as  to  the  proper,  or 
best  means  of  its  obtainment. 

Our  observation,  tempts  us  to  the  conclusion  that, 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


127 


"between  the  denominations  resorting  to  special 
efforts  and  intense  feeling,  and  those  continuing  in 
the  beaten  track,  without  manifesting  any  improve¬ 
ment,  or  real  change  of  life,  both  have  good  cause 
for  fault-finding  and  remonstrance.  No  one  can 
fail  to  see  a  high  middle-ground  between  the  two. 
But,  evidently,  neither  are  able  just  now  to  occupy. 
The  one  is  held  back  by  the  weight  of  its  success, 
and  the  crowds  about  the  wheels  of  its  machinery ; 
the  other,  by  the  fear  that  it  may  be  charged  with 
sympathy  with,  and  an  approach  to,  the  former. 
This  is  an  unfortunate  state  of  affairs.  It  shows 
plainly  that  the  day  of  indifference  to  the  carnal 
mind,  and  a  rigid  adherence  to  the  Divine  behests, 
has  not  yet  dawned  upon  the  Church. 

We  think,  however,  that  the  time  is  not  remote 
in  which  all  systems  of  religion  will  exhibit  a  high 

O  o 

esteem  for  true  piety,  and  make  it  the  great  condi¬ 
tion  to  responsible  posts.  And  we  believe,  too,  that 
the  extraordinary  disregard  of  the  plain  requirements 
of  Christ,  in  his  conversation  with  Nicodemus,  must 
yield,  in  the  not  distant  future  to  their  full  con¬ 
sideration  and  practice. 

A  SUBJECT  WORTHY  ATTENTION. 

In. these  remarks  we  do  not  harbor,  what  some 
might  designate  as,  objectionable  tendencies.  On 
the  contrary,  we  look  with  much  of  misgiving 
and  apprehension  upon  the  unrestricted  latitude 
that  has  allowed  thousands  of  unthinking  persons 


128 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


to  even  widen  the  breach  created  between  the 
reformation  and  dissenting  churches  in  the  seven¬ 
teenth  century.  But,  we  are  clear,  that  the  change 
demanded  by  our  Lord  merits  more  than  a  passing 
nod  ;  that  it  requires  that  our  tastes,  habits,  ap¬ 
petites,  thoughts,  feelings  and  proclivities — in  a 
word,  our  natures — shall  experience  a  radical  change, 
however  that  may  be  brought  about ;  whether  by  a 
careful  and  systematic  training,  that  makes  men  in¬ 
telligent  Christians,  void  of  all  doubt  and  delusion  ; 
or,  by  the  sudden  method,  by  which  a  large  propor¬ 
tion  break  through  the  net  before  they  can  be 
hauled  to  the  limitless  shores. 

LOOSE  RELIGION. — DAYS  OF  MIRACLES. 

Our  purpose,  in  these  remarks,  is  to  do  good ;  to 
honor  Christ.  We  dislike  a  loose  religion;  a  re¬ 
ligion  that  is  just  none  at  all;  a  religion  that 
don’t  look  beyond  the  church,  or  above  the  or¬ 
dinance  ;  a  religion  that  has  as  much  of  faith  and 
works  in  it  as  the  clouds  have  of  marble  or  brass. 
There  is,  everywhere,  a  need  for  a  consciousness,  a 
certainty ,  on  the  part  of  church  members,  that  they 
“are  not  their  own,  but  belong  unto  their  faithful 
Saviour  Jesus  Christ,  who  with  his  precious  blood 
hath  fully  satisfied  for  all  their  sins,  and  delivered 
them  from  all  the  power  of  the  devil.” 

These  thoughts  bring  us  again  to  the  statement 
of  Mr.  Murphy,  that  he,  in  the  solemn  meeting  had 
in  his  cell,  arose  from  his  knees,  with  an  evidence  of 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


129 


God’s  acceptance  of  him.  We  receive  it,  just  as  all 
other  wonderful  things,  and  can  only  here  say,  in 
regard  to  it,  that  God’s  miraculous  power  did 
not  cease  with  Paul’s  conversion,  neither  are  the 
days  of  miracles  as  much  gone  by  as  many  would 
make  believe. 


A  TRANSFORMATION. 

When  Mr.  Murphy’s  family  surrounded  him,  they 
had  been  poorly  provided  for,  and  he  admits  that 
they  were  in  a  starving  or  semi-starving  condition. 
Yet  all  sight  of  the  fact  was  lost.  There  was  a  be¬ 
loved  husband  and  father,  just  saved  from  the  jaws 
of  destruction.  He  had  just  consecrated  his  heart 
to  God,  and  his  life  to  total  abstinence.  The  inter¬ 
ests  of  the  soul  sat  as  cap-sheaves  over  those  of  the 
body,  and  all  were  in  rapture.  Here  we  will  put  on 
record  the  words  of  the  saved  man : 

“Then  everything  became  transformed.  The 
very  granite  of  the  prison  seemed  to  me  to  be  cut 
and  carved  so  as  to  exhibit  the  forms  of  angels.” 


LIGHT  HEARTS. 

Immediately,  upon  the  close  of  this  service  in  Mr. 
Murphy’s  cell,  his  wife  and  children,  with  Capt. 
Sturdivant,  left  the  jail.  Their  steps,  like  their 
hearts,  were  light.  The  skies  were  more  attractive, 
and  all  nature  more  fascinating  to  the  care-worn 

wife,  and  successful  evangelist,  than  before.  Their 

9 


130 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


very  countenances  seemed  to  say  to  the  critical  ob¬ 
server,  “  News  !  News  ! !  ”  How  the  miseries  of  a 
faithful  wife  seemed  freely  compensated  ! 

KEPT  IN  PRISON. 

After  the  reformation  of  Mr.  Murphy  he  was  not 
promptly  liberated.  This  was  evidently  the  purpose 
of  the  great  Ruler  of  Earth.  Man  cannot  defeat 
His  plans.  He  had  been  remarkably  good  and  con¬ 
descending  in  visiting  one  cell  and  one  soul.  There 
were  seventy-five  more  souls  within  that  place  of 
incarceration,  all  of  which  were  as  precious  to  Him. 
The  first  fruits  were  for  Him — for  His  great  work 
of  reform  throughout  the  land.  But  there  were  the 
later  fruits  for  the  comforting  and  healing  of  the 
various  anxious  households. 

Our  God  is  no  respecter  of  persons.  When  He  re¬ 
claims  one,  it  is  that,  through  such  an  instrument, 
the  all-needful  work  of  salvation  shall  continue. 
He  not  only  puts  into  every  redeemed  heart  the 
desire  to  honor  Him  in  that  way,  but  also  furnishes 
the  light,  the  direction,  and  the  power. 

For  a  considerable  time  afterwards,  Mr.  Murphy 
remained  a  prisoner.  He  meditated  long  and  well 
upon  the  step  he  had  taken,  and  the  experience  he 
had  attained  to,  and  gradually  entered  upon  his 
plans  for  the  future.  It  vras  thus,  in  the  jail,  that 
originated  the  great  reformatory  wave  now  deluging 
our  goodly  land. 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


131 


ASKS  TO  CONDUCT  A  PRAYER-MEETING. 

One  day  he  conceived  the  project  of  carrying  the 
work,  begun  in  his  own  soul,  among  the  unconverted 
men  around  him.  He  sent  a  petition  to  Sheriff 
Perry  asking  his  permission  to  hold  a  prayer-meet¬ 
ing.  This,  as  in  the  case  of  the  request  made  by 
Capt.  Sturdivant  of  the  same  official,  was  granted. 
The  meeting  was  held,  and  was  one  of  powerful 
influence  for  good.  An  impression  was  made  such 
as  could  not  have  been  readily  accomplished  under 
less  interesting  circumstances. 

Mr.  Murphy  had  grounds  for  hopefulness.  He 
arose  from  his  bed,  often  at  night,  and  prayed  long 
and  earnestly  that  the  poor  prisoners  might  all  be 
saved  by  grace  divine. 

“And,  in  the  silence  of  the  night,”  he  has  said, 
u  on  such  occasions,  the  word  came  to  my  soul,  that 
God  had  a  work  for  me  to  do  ” 

“I  then  said  to  the  Lord,”'  he  continued,  “  If 
Thou  wilt  give  me  to  see  much  fruit  from  this 
work,  it  shall  be  the  evidence  to  me  that  I  am 
called  to  preach  the  gospel.” 

SEVENTY-FIVE  PRISONERS  CONVERTED. 

Mr.  Murphy  did  not  have  a  great  while  to  wait. 
In  the  course  of  a  little  time,  he  says,  he  saw  the 
seventy-five  men  brought  securely  from  the  evil  of 
their  lives.  God  gave  him  every  man  in  the  jail. 


132 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


This  was  an  unexampled  success ;  enough  to 
encourage  any  believer  to  feel  that  he  was  a  chosen 
vessel.  The  effect  of  his  work  became  apparent  in 
the  course  pursued  toward  the  men.  The  sheriff 
discontinued  the  practice  of  locking  them  up.  They 
were  put  upon  their  honor.  Contrary  to  the  pre¬ 
vious  custom  of  the  place,  they  were  permitted  to 
go  out  into  the  yard,  and  not  one  of  them  ever  vio¬ 
lated  his  word  with  the  keeper. 

DIVINE  NATURE  OF  THE  WORK. 

» 

Thus,  it  is  evident,  in  the  work  of  this  man,  that 
Jesus  continues  to  confound  the  wise  and  great  of 
this  world  by  using  the  despised  among  men  ;  that 
the  same  Wisdom  which  passed  by  the  schools  of 
the  prophets,  and  the  candidates  for  the  priesthood, 
and  selected  humble  fishermen,  is  yet  exercised  in 
behalf  of  sinners  ;  and  that  the  same  Power  which 
disregarded  Gamaliel  and  the  Sanhedrim,  and  se¬ 
lected  one  who  was  a  favored  pupil  and  follower, 
and  smote  him  down,  that  he  might  be  fully  quali¬ 
fied  for  His  service,  is  still  controlling  the  destinies 
of  our  race. 

Ho  man  was  ever  more  certainly  led  into  the 
cause  of  righteousness,  for  an  active  and  prominent 
part,  than  Mr.  Murphy.  He  is  a  singular  adapta¬ 
tion  of  the  human  to  the  work  of  the  Divine.  His 
character  is  one  that  it  would  be  useless  to  attempt 
to  lay  bare.  So  far  as  it  concerns  his  work,  this 
cannot  be  done.  The  blade  in  his  hand  forbids  any 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


138 


such  design.  The  Sword  of  the  Spirit  scarcely 
admits  of  a  proximity  for  so  weak  and  foolish  a 
purpose.  The  power  is  of  God.  The  man  would 
be  as  a  child  in  the  gigantic  conflict  without  that 
power.  Yet  such  power  is  only  given  where  souls 
are  great,  and  broad,  and  deep  and  all-capacious. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

HIS  IMPRISONMENT  A  SCHOOL. 

As  time  wTent  on,  and  the  strange  events  at  the 
Portland  jail  had  been  well  noised  about,  a  deep 
sympathy  was  created  for  the  poor  men  denied  their 
liberty.  The  popular  heart  became  largely  centred 
upon  the  prisoners,  and  wTas  ready  to  demand  the 
release  of  such,  at  least,  as  had  not  committed  some 
felony  of  a  grievous  nature. 

And  no  one  stood  higher  in  public  esteem  than 
the  once  wretched  inebriate  and  saloon-keeper  who 
had  been  the  means  of  so  much  good.  His  labors 
among,  and  in  behalf  of  the  salvation  of,  his  fellows 
around  him,  were  the  subject  of  daily  comment.  He 
had  already,  before  leaving  the  great  dark  walls  as 
a  freeman,  made  an  impression  that  could  not  but 
put  him  in  the  fore  front  in  any  attempt  as  a  leader, 
teacher  or  lecturer.  His  imprisonment  proved  the 
entrance-way  to  a  great  and  valuable  life.  He  had 
only  been  to  school. 


134 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


NO  HELP  FOR  HIS  WIFE. 

But  while  these  things  were  so,  few  persons — ms 
is  usually  the  case — knew  of  the  misery  that  existed 
in  Mr.  Murphy’s  household.  This  is  best  furnished 
in  the  following  words  of  the  lecturer  : 

“They  were  in  straitened  circumstances.  The 
landlord  had  notified  my  wife  and  her  six  little  ones 
to  get  out  of  his  building.  There  was  no  one  to 
help  her. 

DENIED  HERSELF  BREAD. 

“  What  I  suffered  during  that  time  God  himself 
only  knows.  My  wife  denied  herself  bread  to  feed 
the  children,  as  a  good  mother  always  will,  and 
even  to  send  me  a  bite  by  the  children  when  they 
came  to  see  me.  Finally,  the  children  could  not 
come ;  they  had  no  money  to  pay  the  car  fare. 

NO  MEALS  THAT  DAY. 

“It  was  on  the  30th  of  October,  1870,  that  I  re¬ 
ceived  a  letter  from  my  dear  wife.  It  was  the  last 
one  I  ever  received  from  her.  It  appears  that  she 
had  had  no  meals  that  day,  as  she  had  nothing  to 
cook.  Johnny,  the  littlest  of  the  six,  while  walking 
up  and  down  the  floor,  had  turned  round  at  last 
and  pleaded  to  her :  ‘  Mother,  haven’t  you  got  a 
piece  of  bread  for  me  ?  ’  She  opened  the  cupboard,, 
but  searched  in  vain.  For  the  first  time  there  was 


GOSPEL,  TEMPERANCE. 


135 


actually  not  even  a  crust  or  crumb  for  the  4  pet,’  for 
r  whom  she  had  always  been  able  to  save  at  least 
something. 

MRS.  murphy’s  SAD  LETTER 

“  The  mother’s  heart  failed  her,  and  then  she  sat 
down  and  wrote  me  this  letter : 

‘“Dear  Husband: — I  have  had  a  week  of  bitter 
trial.  My  strength  is  failing  me.  I  cannot  live 
long.  But  do  not  be  discouraged.  My  trust  is  in 
God.’ 

“  This  letter  I  received  at  night.  I  could  not  read 
it  in  my  dark  cell,  but  I  managed  to  decipher  the 
words  by  the  gas  in  the  corridor. 

A  BITTER  NIGHT. 

“  I  walked  my  cell  all  that  night.  I  cannot  speak 
my  experience  on  that  the  most  bitter  night  I  ever 
spent  in  all  my  life.  But  it  is  past  now,  thanks  be 
to  God  !  never  to  be  lived  over.  I  determined  to 
put  my  trust  in  God.  If  I  lived  until  morning  I 
would  show  that  letter  to  the  keeper,  and  tell  him 
the  circumstances,  and  ask  him  to  go  to  Captain 
Sturdivant,  the  only  earthly  friend  I  knew.  And 
when  daylight  came,  God’s  goodness  came  unto  me. 

RELEASED. 

“  I  was  released  from  prison  through  the  efforts 
of  my  friend,  Captain  Sturdivant.  On  my  road 


136 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


home  I  heard  a  familiar  step  behind  me,  approach¬ 
ing  rapidly,  and  the  next  moment  the  arms  of  my 
son  Willie  were  around  my  neck. 

44  He  whispered  in  my  ear,  4  We  live  down  there, 
father ;  come  quick  tins  way,  and  follow  me.  No 
one  is  looking.’  The  poor  boy  thought  it  was  ne¬ 
cessary  to  hide  me.  4 1  am  released,  my  boy !  ’  I 
cried  to  him. 

44  4  Blessed  be  to  God/  he  answered,  as  he  fled  to 
break  the  news  to  mother;  and  in  nearing  the 
house  the  children  came  and  flocked  around  me, 
and  I  felt  like  old  times  again.” 


A  COMPLETE  WRECK. 

In  the  door-way,  while  yet  at  a  little  distance,  Mr. 
Murphy  saw  his  wife  standing.  Oh,  how  changed 
her  figure  and  face  I  A  shudder  crept  over  him  as 
he  beheld  one,  who  had  been  so  beautiful  and  true, 
now  faded,  trembling  and  almost  crushed.  She 
looked  to  him  like  a  vessel,  which  had  started  upon 
the  great  bosom  of  life,  with  pure  sails,  majestic 
form  and  bright  promises,  but  which,  after  strug¬ 
gling  gallantly  and  faithfully  through  the  most 
fearful  of  storms,  was  left  at  mid-ocean,  a  complete 
wreck.  Now,  the  storm  had  been  spent ;  the  clouds 
were  broken  ;  the  silver  linings  were  far  out  where 
the  wavelets,  in  rhythmic  succession,  leaped  upon 
and  kissed  the  passing  clouds  ;  and  the  whole  firma¬ 
ment  was  decorated  with  sheets  of  gold ;  but,  the  best 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


137 


and  dearest  of  all  objects  was  broken — yea,  sinking, 
and  would  soon  forever  disappear  from  the  surface. 

No  wonder  that  Mr.  Murphy  felt  a  chill  come 
upon  him.  No  wonder  that  his  previous  hopes  and 
buoyant  emotions  were  cast  aside.  And  even  now, 
we  think,  that  he  would  be  one  of  the  last  men,  to 
touch  the  intoxicating  glass,  in  this  world  ;  that,  at 
the  very  thought  of  the  act,  the  white  face  of  the 
sainted  wife  and  mother  would  rise  up  before  him 
and  dash  it  to  the  ground.  One  such  experience  as 
his  should  be  enough  to  keep  a  world  of  men  from 
the  dread  destroyer. 

THE  MEETING. 

We  will  return  to  'the  very  touching  account, 
given  by  Mr.  Murphy,  of  his  release,  and  return  to 
his  home : 

44  When  I  reached  the  door  I  met  my  wife,  who 
folded  me  in  her  arms  to  her  bosom.  I  can  see  her 
now  as  in  a  picture,  with  her  large  wealth  of  golden 
hair  hung  carelessly  over  her  shoulders.  4  God  help¬ 
ing  me,  wife/  I  said,  4 1  will  never  touch  another 
drop  of  liquor,  and  never  sell  another  drop  ! 7  77 


AN  EARNEST  PRAYER. 

Quickly  the  home  was  entered.  The  soul  of  the 
Christian  companion  and  mother,  heretofore  con¬ 
scious  of  uninterrupted  suffering,  was  now  running 


138 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


over  with  a  sense  of  gratitude.  She  could  not 
longer  withhold  the  meed  due  Him  who  had  so 
fully  answered  her  many  pleadings  by  day  and  by 
night.  She  sunk  down  upon  her  knees,  and,  hold¬ 
ing  up  her  hands,  tightly  clasping  those  of  her  hus¬ 
band,  offered  thanks  for  Divine  favor,  and  besought 
God,  for  Christ’s  sake,  to  give  her  husband  strength 
to  keep  his  resolution. 

Thus  came  on  the  new  life  of  Francis  Murphy  in 
his  family.  Such  occurrences  could  not  but  largely 
help  to  rivet  the  man  and  his  purposes  together. 
The  beginning  of  any  Christian  life  is  attended  with 
something  of  embarrassment.  And  when  there  is 
a  total  want  of  sympathy,  among  those  allied  to  us 
in  daily  struggles,  our  perplexities  are  manifold  and 
serious.  But,  in  the  case  in  point,  it  was  otherwise. 
The  wife  was  a  sterling  believer,  and  held  in  high 
esteem  the  privilege  of  prayer.  Surely,  here  was 
much  of  aid  and  comfort,  at  this  all-important 
period  of  Mr.  Murphy’s  life. 

ERECTS  A  FAMILY  ALTAR. 

The  effect  of  the  scene  furnished  is  thus  told,  in  a 
few  sentences,  by  Mr.  Murphy  : 

“  And  then,  all  at  once,  things  brightened,  and  I 
determined  to  erect  a  family  altar.  I  said,  I  will  go 
to  Captain  Sturdivant,  who  had  rescued  me,  and 
tell  him.” 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


139 


FRUIT  AND  GARMENTS  BROUGHT. 

“  And  that  night  he  brought  a  lot  of  friends  with 
him  to  erect  it,  and  they  brought  fruit  and  garments 
for  the  little  children.  Oh!  you  don’t  know  how 
they  needed  them.  My  eyes  cannot  help  filling  with 
tears  when  I  remember  that  crisis  of  my  life.” 

NEW  DUTIES  AND  TRIALS. 

The  duties  and  struggles  of  our  convert  now 
began.  His  family  was  large,  and  to  him  all  eyes 
were  naturally  turned.  He  engaged  at  such  em¬ 
ployment  as  presented  itself  for  the  time,  but  felt 
far  from  contented  in  his  narrow  sphere.  He  was, 
after  a  while,  to  enter  upon  a  wider  field  of  activity, 
but  there  was  deep  water  between  it  and  him. 

MRS.  MURPHY’S  DEATH. 

Three  weeks  had  passed  away,  when  Mrs.  Murphy 
was  seized  with  an  attack  of  typhoid  fever.  The 
scorching  embrace  of  the  disease  soon  produced  the 
dreaded  delirium.  For  fourteen  days  her  husband 
and  children  watched  and  waited  and  toiled  at  her 
bedside.  No  attention  was  neglected.  Every  heart 
was  bowed  down  and  anxious.  But  the  worst  of 
all  calamities  was  approaching.  The  physician 
soon  found  his  skill  exhausted  in  the  vain  hope  to 
bring  about  a  change.  She  never  revived.  Death 


140 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


-entered  the  home,  and  put  his  hand  upon  the  chief 
object  of  all  its  affections. 

It  was  in  the  month  of  December,  1870,  when 
this  terrible  visitation  came  upon  the  Murphy 
family.  The  husband  was  filled  with  mourning, 
and  would  not  be  comforted.  The  little  faces 
around  him  were  tear-marked,  and  the  eyes  red 
with  weeping.  The  world  had  often  appeared 
dark  and  chilly  to  some  of  them — but,  now,  it  was 
enveloped  in  gloom,  and  desolation  stared  at  them 
from  every  side. 


A  SAD  FAMILY. 

After  a  few  days,  the  loved  form  was  removed. 
The  undertaker,  and  his  assistant,  soon  put  away 
all  traces  of  the  funeral.  The  little  dining-room 
was  in  its  usual  order.  A  few,  well-worn  ornaments 
and  bijouterie  were  here  and  there  seen ;  but  all 
interest  in  them  was  g-one.  In  the  mother’s  room  a 
coldness  and  heaviness  rested  everywhere.  The 
bright  December  sunlight  gleamed  through  the 
half-shaded  windows,  but  it  furnished  nothing  of 
warmth  or  cheer.  There  was  some  one  absent. 
Something  was  wanting.  Soon  a  little  one  began 
its  woe.  Mother  was  needed.  The  father  migfit 
call  to  him  the  sad  child,  and  speak  of  the  bright, 
far-away  land  to  which  God  had  called  their  best 
and  truest  earthly  friend;  but  the  sadness  remained. 
Xone  seemed  to  know  why  the  kind  Father  should 
take  her  away,  when  she  was  wanted  so  much. 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


141 


THE  MOST  IMPORTANT  OF  EVENTS. 

W e  will  now  unwind  the  cords  that  have  thus  far 
allowed  an  undisturbed  gaze  at  the  home-scenes  of 
a  much  stricken  familv,  and  let  down  the  curtain 
that  divides  the  life  of  Francis  Murphy,  the  inebri¬ 
ate,  and  Francis  Murphy,  the  temperance  Apostle. 
We  could  not  possibly  omit  in  the  former,  this  most 
important  of  all  events,  since  it  looms  up  before  us- 
as  the  deepest  and  direst  of  all  the  mischief  conse¬ 
quent  upon  the  acts  of  a  dissipated  husband.  It 
naturally  belongs  to  the  time  when,  little  by  little, 
the  earth  was  rudely  and  ruthlessly  shoveled  from 
beneath  the  weary  feet  of  the  tender  pilgrim,  until 
at  last — though  the  Sun  of  Righteousness,  and  the 
zephyrs  from  the  Eternal  City  fell  refreshingly  upon 
her — the  grave  swallowed  its  own  victor. 

The  closing  scenes  in  the  life  presented,  have  kept 
with  Mr.  Murphy.  They  seem  to  have  had  their 
influence  upon  his  labors  until  this  hour.  IsTow  and 
then,  they  almost  overcome  him,  as  his  heart  grows 
warm  and  his  words  tremulous.  Often,  they  hover 
about  his  thoughts,  without  direct  reference  to 
them.  His  whole  being  often  seems  to  leap  back¬ 
ward  and  forward  between  the  little  grave  mound 
in  Wexford  and  that  in  Portland  city.  They  sur¬ 
mount  the  ashes  which  he  delights  to  honor.  He 
would,  from  the  love  he  bore  them,  and  the  hal¬ 
lowed  veneration  in  which  their  memories  are  held, 
yet  do  much  for  the  good  mothers  and  suffering 


142 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


wives  of  others.  Notice  his  words,  delivered  on  a 
recent  occasion : 


CANNOT  BUT  WORK. 

“  I  am  doing  this  work  because  I  cannot  help  it. 
I  can  avoid  doing  it  no  more  than  I  can  avoid 
breathing.  There  is  no  portion  of  life  I  do  not 
seem  to  have  tasted.  There  is  not  a  man,  who  has 
passed  through  affliction,  except  that  I  have  been 
called  upon  to  do  as  much.  I  have  been  in  the 
furnace  when  the  form  of  the  fourth  was  in  it.  I 
knew  God  was  with  me. 

u  Could  I  but  give  others  to  see  what  I  have  seen, 
to  feel  what  I  have  felt,  and  to  pass  through  what  I 
have  done,  none  would  be  surprised  at  my  eagerness. 
I  found,  beyond  all  questioning,  that  God  saves  to 
the  uttermost.  No  matter,  if  you  have  been  a 
prisoner,  and  base  rebel,  He  comes  to  you  with 
more  than  a  mother’s  love. 

“  How  quickly  would  the  mother  come  to  her 
boy,  if  she  could,  and  put  her  hand  fondly  upon  his 
head,  and  draw  him  lovingly  to  her  breast.  A  boy, 
even  in  rags,  will  try  to  make  himself  appear  well 
before  her  who  bore  him.  But  she  will  not  stop  to 
see  his  rags  ;  she  will  see  her  face  in  his,  and  take 
him  to  her  heart.  She  will  not  be  content  to  take 
his  hand,  but  will  fall  upon  his  neck. 

“  So  Christ  sees  His  face  in  yours,  if  you  will  but 
believe  in  Him ;  and  wherever  you  may  be,  or 
however  degraded,  He,  the  once  crucified,  oppressed 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


143 


and  bleeding,  stands  ready  to  fold  you  in  His  arms. 
Yea,  he  stands  and  knocks  at  the  door  of  your 
heart,  until  His  locks  are  wet  with  the  dew  of  the 
evening.  God  always  does  His  part.” 

A  COMPLETE  PREPARATION  FOR  IT. 

The  temperance  of  Mr.  Murphy  began  in  religion — 
under  soul  convictions.  Had  he  become  a  temper¬ 
ance  man,  without  embracing  Christ,  he  never  could 
have  entered  upon  this  gigantic  and  holy  warfare. 
Men  can  be  temperance  men  without  being  Chris¬ 
tians  ;  but  no  man  can  be  a  Christian  without  being 
a  temperance  man,  however  much  debauchery  and 
drunkenness  may  have  blighted  his  faculties.  Out 
of  darkuess  and  into  light  means,  a  reformation  in 
all  things  which  have  to  do  with  the  soul. 

The  jail  has  been  well  called  “his  trysting-place 
with  the  Spirit  of  the  new  life  that  had  been  be¬ 
queathed  him.”  When  his  time  of  confinement 
ended  he  walked  forth  a  herald  and  leader,  and  un¬ 
furled  his  ensign  boldly  to  the  breeze.  For  a  brief 
season  he  was  cast  down  beyond  all  taste  for  labor 
of  almost  any  kind.  He  was  tried  by  affliction. 
But,  he  stood  the  ordeal,  manfully.  And,  hereby 
he  was  made  stronger  for  the  sublime  conflict 
awaiting  him. 


144 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


CHAPTER  XI  Y . 

FIRST  APPEARANCE  AS  A  LECTURER. 

The  time  for  the  debut  of  Mr.  Murphy  as  a  lec 
turer  had  come.  Having  had  a  highly  favorable 
address,  and  being,  to  all  appearances,  gifted  with 
earnestness  and  freedom  in  speech,  several  Christian 
gentlemen,  who  had  become  interested  in  his  refor- 
mation,  induced  him  to  essay  a  public  lecture  in  the 
City  Hall,  in  Portland.  This  event  transpired  in 
the  month  of  April. 

As  he  had  numerous  acquaintances  throughout 
the  city,  and  his  recent  remarkable  reformation  and 
success  were  all  well  known,  the  mere  announce¬ 
ment,  that  he  was  to  deliver  a  lecture,  was  sufficient 
to  attract  a  large  crowd.  He  had  a  well-packed 
house.  Of  course,  he  was  surprised,  and  even  some¬ 
what  dismayed  when  he  came  before  the  vast  as¬ 
semblage  of  upturned  faces.  But,  becoming  warmed 
as  he  entered  upon  his  theme,  he  soon  lapsed  into 
his  native  energy  and  singular  earnestness.  He 
reasoned  from  the  standpoint  of  a  bitter  personal 
experience.  All  were  in  sympathy  with  the  speaker. 
His  maiden  effort  produced  a  profound  impression 
upon  his  audience. 

SURPRISED  AT  THE  RESULT. 

At  the  conclusion  of  his  address,  about  the  only 
dissatisfied  person  in  the  hall  was  Francis  Murphy. 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


145 


lie  had  somehow  gotten  the  impression  that  his 
effort  was  an  inglorious  failure.  lie  attempted  a 
sort  of  speedy  retreat,  by  leaving  the  platform 
quietly,  and  going  through  the  audience  toward  the 
door.  His  mind  was  pretty  well  made  up  that  he 
could  not  meet  with  any  degree  of  success  in  his 
newly  selected  field.  ' 

Before,  however,  Mr.  Murphy  had  left  the  place, 
he  had  more  than  fifty  applications  as  a  temperance 
lecturer,  and,  as  another  has  put  it,  “  he  was  in 
business  up  to  his  eyes.”  Of  course,  he  was  greatly 
surprised  at  this  turn  in  matters,  and  began  some¬ 
what  to  lose  confidence  in  his  rash  opinions. 

Having  met  with  so  much  of  kind  and  unre- 
strained  encouragement,  he  determined  to  go  on 
with  the  glorious  work.  In  the  course  of  time,  he 
delivered  some  thirty -eight  or  forty  consecutive  lec¬ 
tures  in  Portland,  with  the  most  unqualified  success. 
The  effect  of  his  labors  was  soon  seen  in  the  organi¬ 
zation  of  a  “Reform  Club,”  through  which  consid¬ 
erable  advance  was  made  against  the  rum  power. 

HIS  INFLUENCE  EXTENDING. 

Soon  the  influence  of  the  new  aspirant  to  popular 
favor  was  felt  beyond  the  confines  of  his  own  city. 
His  services  were  in  great  demand  in  various  parts 
of  the  State  of  Maine,  and  also  in  portions  of  New 
Hampshire.  In  these  two  States  he  labored  largely 
for  the  space  of  nearly  four  years. 

Subsequently,  he  found  his  way  into  Iowa  and 

10 


146 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


Illinois,  at  the  instigation  of  temperance  people,  and 
did  valiant  service.  In  Iowa  he  received  the  most 
flattering  encomiums  from  the  press.  The  name  of 
the  faithful  worker,  in  many  localities  throughout 
the  State,  has  become  a  household  word.  In  Illinois, 
also,  he  made  hosts  of  friends.  Very  many  wretched 
men  threw  away  their  garments  of  dissipation,  and 
donned  those  of  sobriety  and  industry,  in  obedience 
to  his  appeals. 

In  this  latter  State,  he  bravely  aided  the  organiza¬ 
tion  known  as  the  “Womens’  Christian  Temperance 
Union,”  in  several  prominent  instances.  A  refer¬ 
ence  to  one  of  these  will  no  doubt  interest  the 
general  reader. 

RALLIES  THE  PEOPLE  AT  FREEPORT. 

He  visited,  by  invitation,  the  town  of  Freeport. 
From  his  first  appearance  on  the  rostrum,  a  new 
era  seemed  to  dawn  upon  the  temperance  work  in 
that  place.  For  a  long  time  previously  the  cause 
had  been  represented  by  a  band  of  praying  women. 
But  they  had  not  experienced  any  degree  of  success. 
It  was  evident  that  the  opposition  to  their  cause 
was  too  strong — the  odds,  too  many. 

But  what  the  brilliant  leader,  Glen.  Phil.  Sheri¬ 
dan,  was  to  the  demoralized  and  retreating  Union 
forces,  near  Winchester,  after  his  famous  and  peril¬ 
ous  ride,  Francis  Murphy  was  to  the  forlorn  tem¬ 
perance  hope  in  the  village  referred  to.  Pie  rallied 
their  scattered  forces.  He  filled  them  with  fresh 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE 


147 


the  old  Orchard  Beach  Camp  Meeting  in  Uew  York 
State.  He  delivered  a  temperance  speech,  in  his 
peculiar  way,  which  had  a  most  telling  effect. 
Very  many  persons  were  completely  softened  under 
his  eloquent  and  fervid  words.  Dio  Lewis  had  been 
announced  to  follow  him.  But  the  doctor  declined, 
and  used,  in  doing  so,  the  following  language : 

“  I  cannot  make  a  speech  after  Mr.  Murphy.  I 
have  heard  speeches  for  forty  years  ;  have  been  on 
the  rostrum  myself  for  over  twenty-five  years  ;  but 
I  have  never  heard  such  a  speech  as  his  to-day.  In 
God’s  name,  keep  that  man  telling  his  story  all 
over  the  land,  every  night  as  long  as  his  breath  and 
.strength  are  spared.” 

ARRANGES  TO  GO  TO  PITTSBURG. 

Mr.  Murphy  visited  Chicago,  where  he  labored 
for  a  time,  and  with  undiminished  encouragement. 
While  there  he  received  and  answered  a  letter  from 
Chancellor  Woods  inviting  him  to  Pittsburg.  This 
correspondence  secured  the  services  of  Mr.  Murphy 
for  a  series  of  eight  lectures,  in  the  Iron  City,  at 
twenty-five  dollars  a  lecture. 

The  Chancellor  had  been  authorized  to  take  such 
a  step  by  the  Young  Men’s  Temperance  Union — an 
association  of  young  men  banded  together  for  the 
purpose  of  breaking  up  the  practice  of  using  alco¬ 
holic  drinks.  They  had  been  working  quietly  among 
themselves,  with  a  reformed  lawyer  as  president. 


148 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


courage,  and  fired  their  souls  with  new  hope.  lie 
completely  turned  the  faces  of  the  temperance  peo¬ 
ple  toward  the  foe,  and  in  the  name  of  Jehovah, 
urged  them  to  move  forward. 

A  SANGUINARY  STRUGGLE. 

And  forward  they  went.  It  was  a  difficult  and 
sanguinary  struggle.  Every  time  they  succeeded 
in  capturing  one  from  the  enemy,  he  insisted  upon 
that  one  being  pushed  to  the  front  and  made  a  sort 
of  commissioned  officer.  His  bold  and  effective  way 
struck  his  enemies  with  dismay.  They  found  them¬ 
selves  outwitted,  and  outgeneraled.  They  were 
flanked  by  the  orator;  their  ranks  were  weakened, 
and  the  reform  forces  greatly  strengthened.  Many 
men,  useful  and  good,  were  released  from  their  sin¬ 
ful  and  lustful  bondage,  and  became  valuable  acces- 
sions  to  society,  and  the  Church. 

And  this  is  about  the  result  of  his  labors  every¬ 
where.  He  works  in  what  may  be  called  a  winning 
way  throughout.  In  the  west,  as  in  the  north  and 
other  parts,  he  plainly,  and  modestly  too,  unveils 
the  story  of  his  sad  life.  His  pathos  attracts.  Ilis 
unfeigned  regrets  commend.  His  eulogy,  upon  him 
who  helped  him  into  the  light,  interests.  His  ap¬ 
peal  to  men  to  stand  to  the  right  convicts.  And  he 
is  soon  master  of  the  hearts  of  his  hearers. 

DIO  LEWIS  ASTONISHED. 

Near  about  the  time,  of  which  we  have  just  been 
writing,  in  the  fall  of  1874,  Mr.  Murphy  attended 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


149 


DISCOURAGED. 

At  first,  Mr.  Murphy  was  discouraged  in  Pitts¬ 
burg.  His  labors  did  not  seem  to  be  accomplishing 
anything.  There  was  a  want  of  sympathy  and  en¬ 
thusiasm.  He  did  not  want  much  time  for  experi¬ 
ment.  Something  must  be  done  outside  the  regular 
order  of  things.  He  felt  unhappy.  He  was  sittiug 
in  the  Seventh  Avenue  Hotel  talking  to  two  news- 
paper  men.  He  said  he  could  not  work  that  way 
among  the  churches,  delivering  lectures,  but  that  if 
he  had  a  room  somewhere,  so  that  he  could  get  a 
dozen  or  so  of  the  “boys”  in,  off  the  street,  he 
thought  he  could  do  some  good  in  Pittsburg.  Felix 
Oracraft,  a  reporter,  who  was  in  the  room,  told  him 
not  to  fret.  [Murphy  was  weeping.]  Cracraft  told 
him  not  to  worry  about  it ;  that  he  would  get  him  a 
room.  He  started  out  and  got  him  the  basement  of 
the  Fifth  Avenue  Methodist  Church  ;  and  there 
Murphy  started  his  meeting  with  the  a  boys.” 

When  he  was  out,  they  would  get  to  talking 
among  themselves,  telling  their  experiences  and 
singing  snatches  of  songs  learned  in  childhood. 
From  that,  this  movement  spread  throughout  Pitts¬ 
burg  and  Allegheny  City ;  and  there  were  as  high 
as  eighteen  churches — the  largest  in  the  two  cities 
— open  there,  for  weeks,  every  night. 

AN  UNEXAMPLED  SUCCESS. 

Subsequently,  when  the  engagement  of  Mr.  Mur¬ 
phy  proved  an  unexampled  success,  it  was  deemed 


150 


THE  true;,  path. 

advisable  to  retain  him,  for  an  unlimited  period,  at 
a  salary  of  $125  per  week  and  expenses.  When  th^ 
arrangement  was  effected,  there  was  just  eighty  dol¬ 
lars  in  the  treasury  of  the  Temperance  Union.  The 
receipts,  from  specified  lectures,  netted  the  sum 
of  $3,000,  and  defrayed  all  the  expenses  attending 
the  great  movement. 

The  work  spread  rapidly  and  assumed  interesting 
proportions.  Many  heard  the  leader  and  his  con¬ 
verts  from  the  merest  curiosity;  but  soon  caught  the 
contageous  feeling,  and  went  away  filled  with  tem¬ 
perance  energy,  and  a  lively  hope  of  the  eventual 
triumph  of  the  cause.  The  method  by  which  all 
were  actuated  is  thus  adverted  to : 

“  The  movement  was  for  the  reclamation  of  men 
addicted  to  drink,  and  not  for  the  amusement  of 
sober  people.  The  glove  was  pulled  off,  and  the 
naked,  warm  hand  of  help,  charity  and  fraternity 
extended  to  all.  No  sectarianism  cast  a  shadow 
upon  it ;  no  illiberality  rotted  in  its  core  ;  no  per¬ 
sonal  assault  was  made  upon  legalized  traffic ;  no 
mask  was  worn  on  its  face ;  no  fustian  on  its  limbs. 
Naked,  open-faced  and  clear-eyed,  in  all  the  brawny 
strength  of  truth,  honor,  justice  and  love,  the  move¬ 
ment  seized  the  populace  by  the  ears,  and  carried 
into  captivity  their  hearts — a  lesson  for  the  present; 
an  example  for  the  future.’7 

In  the  course  of  about  four  weeks  the  cause  had 
five  thousand  names  enrolled.  In  about  ten  weeks, 
altogether,  it  had  forty  thousand.  The  meetings 
were  always  conducted  with  great  regularity  and. 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


151 


informality.  Mr.  Murphy  kept  his  genial  nature  * 
throughout.  Until  the  close  of  the  engagement, 
there  was  manifested  a  steady  flow  of  kindness  and 
charitableness,  as  well  as  of  triumph. 

PROMINENT  CIRCUMSTANCES. 

In  view  of  the  prominent  character  of  the  three 
months5  campaign  in  Pittsburg  it  seems  proper 
here  to  allude  to  a  few  of  the  circumstances  and 
incidents  attending;  it.  From  the  beginning:,  there 
were  peculiarities  noticeable  in  the  lecturer,  which 
gradually  adhered  to  the  work,  and  gave  it  fre¬ 
quently  additional  zest.  lie  bequeathed  it  certain 
expressions,  which  are  held  among  the  young  men 
as  are  precious  heirlooms,  often,  in  families.  One 
is,  “  If  you  please,55  usually  put  to  the  end  of  his 
sentences,  remarks,  etc.  Another,  “  Won’t  some¬ 
body  please  say  amen!55  And  still  another,  the 
word  “  Prosbyteriau,”  which  is  rather  famous. 
And  again,  his  “Just  a  word,  brother,55  and  the 
introductory,  “  Clothed  in  his  right  mind,55  are 
familiar  to  nearly  all  who  have  heard  him. 

A  studied  effort,  on  the  part  of  any  one,  was 
steadily  disapproved  by  Mr.  Murphy.  His  heart 
seemed  to  run  over  in  the  work,  and  he  preferred 
only  the  impromptu  outpourings  of  those  who  were 
similarly  affected.  Those,  who  never  before  at¬ 
tempted  a  speech,  enjoyed  ease  and  freedom  before 
the  great  audiences.  Now  and  then,  one  began  to 
sink,  from  want  of  confidence,  as  Peter  did  from 


152 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


want  of  faith,  but  the  hand  of  Mr.  Murphy  was 
ready  to  help  him  through  by  some  sudden  act  or 
word  of  strategy.  Occasionally  some  glib-tongued 
orator  would  u  strike  an  attitude,”  and  essay  an 
effort  on  the  rostrum  ;  but  Mr.  Murphy,  after  re¬ 
peated  u  glories”  and  “amens,”  would  pleasantly 
urge,  “Somebody  please  say  amen,”  followed  by, 
“A  verse,  if  you  please,  Bro.  Lincoln,”  and  the 
voluble  would  retire  in  good  humor. 

The  speeches  attending  the  movement  have  been 
of  every  kind,  from  gay  to  grave;  from  quaint 
reminiscences  to  most  touching  recitals.  As  a  con¬ 
sequence,  there  has  been  an  unstinted  admixture  of 
laughter  and  tears  and  applause. 

INCIDENTS. 

There  have  also  been  occasional  instances  of  what 
the  lecturer  somewhat  facetiously  styles  weddings. 
Ties  that  had  been  sundered  by  the  violent  hand  of 
intoxication,  or  a  continuous  course  of  dissipation, 
were  readjusted. 

One  evening  a  young  man  stepped  up  and  signed 
the  pledge.  Scarcely  had  he  done  so,  wdien  a  young 
woman,  with  a  babe  in  her  arms,  came  forward,  and 
falling  upon  his  neck,  kissed  him  and  wept.  Drink 
had  separated  the  young  couple.  With  pledge 
in  pocket,  and  the  baby  on  one  arm  and  his  wife 
on  the  other,  the  husband  walked  through  the 
crowd  and  received  the  congratulations  of  every¬ 
body. 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


153 


At  another  meeting,  a  gentleman  was  walking  up 
to  sign  the  pledge,  when  a  curly-headed  little  fellow, 
who  had  been  nestling  under  a  lady's  arm,  jumped 
up  on  the  cushious  of  the  pew  they  were  seated  in, 
and  clapping  his  hands  in  childish  glee,  exclaimed, 
“Oh,  Auntie!  Auntie!  there  goes  papa  to  sign  the 
pledge.  Now,  let’s  go  and  tell  mamma!”  and  the 
childish  desire  to  make  mamma  happy  brought 
tears  to  many  eyes. 

Once  in  a  while  a  ragged-looking  stranger  would 
approach.  He  seemed  to  think  no  one  cared  for 
him.  Undemonstratively  he  would  take  the  pen  up, 
and,  with  tightly  closed  lips,  strike  the  blow  at  the 
enemy  of  his  soul.  Suddenly  a  fellowship  rises  up, 
surprises  and  surrounds  him.  His  case  was  under¬ 
stood,  and  his  special  need  met.  Hands  were  ex¬ 
tended  him,  and  endearing  and  encouraging  words 
poured  into  his  ear. 

Many  other  things,  worthy  of  record,  might  be 
here  furnished,  did  space  permit.  Yea,  volumes  of 
deep  interest  might  be  written,  showing  how  bodies 
and  souls  have  been  liberated  and  saved.  The 
work  of  Francis  Murphy  at  Pittsburg,  as,  indeed, 
at  many  other  points,  will  never  appear,  in  its 
boundless  and  most  glorious  results,  until  the  veil 
of  Time  is  lifted,  and  the  full  blaze  of  infinite 
Truth  and  Beauty  is  shed  upon  the  disenthralled 
and  redeemed  of  earth. 


154 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

MR.  MURPHY’S  SERVICES  SECURED  FOR  PHILADELPHIA. 

The  fame  of  Mr.  Murphy’s  labors  in  Pittsburg 
and  vicinity,  having  reached  Philadelphia,  an  in¬ 
terest  was  felt,  at  once,  among  a  few  of  oui  most 
philanthropic  and  public  spirited  men.  The  pro¬ 
gress  steadily  made  was  carefully  watched  ;  and,  as 
a  result,  the  conclusion  speedily  arrived  at,  that 
similar  success  would  follow  here,  could  the  orator 
be  induced  to  appear  before  our  people. 

Among  the  persons  deeply  concerned,  in  behalf 
of  the  need  of  the  great  city  of  Brotherly  Love, 
was  Mr.  John  Wanamaker,  the  merchant  prince, 
whose  great  public  spirit,  and  works  of  charity  and 
benevolence,  have  endeared  him  far  and  wide  to  the 
masses  around  him.  Taking  the.  initiative  steps 
alone,  and  upon  his  own  responsibility,  and  being 
ready  to  defray  all  the  expenses  incurred,  he 
secured  the  labors  of  Mr.  Murphy  for  a  definite 
period.  The  commodious  and  well-known  Academy 
of  Music,. on  Broad  street  was  secured,  by  way  of 
an  introduction  for  the  lecturer.  Subsequently,  the 
Mission  House,  a  notable  enterprise  of  Mr.  Wana- 
maker’s,  in  which  he  has  a  Sunday-school  of  nearly 
two  thousand  children  to  meet  every  Lord’s  day. 
was  used  as  the  place  for  Mr.  Murphy’s  meetings. 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


155- 


philanthropists  TAKE  HOLD. 

Promptly,  such  men  as  George  H.  Stuart,  whose 
unrivalled  reputation  as  a  true  Christian  philanthro¬ 
pist  and  humanitarian,  stands  everywhere  ac¬ 
knowledged;  and  Joshua  L.  Baily,  the  well-known 
merchant,  and  founder  of  the  Coffee-house  system, 
as  a  preventive  to  tavern-temptation  ;  and  Samuel 
P.  Godwin,  the  President  of  the  Franklin  Reforma¬ 
tory  Home,  took  hold  of  the  matter,  when  it  was 
advanced  step  by  step,  to  various  points,  bringing' 
up,  at  last,  at  the  large  Tabernacle  building,  on 
North  Broad  Street.  Even  'this  was  often  found 
too  small  for  the  throngs  eager  to  catch  at  the  elo¬ 
quence  and  interest  steadily  apparent  in  the  work. 

WONDERFUL  SUCCESS  IN  A  SHORT  TIME. 

"Words  cannot  give  an  adequate  idea  of  the  scene 
presented  at  each  meeting,  or  of  the  truly  won¬ 
derful  success  which  has  followed.  Mr.  Murphy’s 
warmth  of  language,  his  evident  devotion  to  the 
cause,  his  eloquent  appeals  to  man’s  better  nature, 
his  kindness  of  manner,  and  his  encouraging  words 
have  touched  the  hearts  of  every  audience,  and 
thousands  after  thousands  of  converts  to  the  cause 
of  temperance  have  in  a  very  short  time  been  made, 

MEANS  OF  SPREADING  THE  CAUSE. 

Then,  again,  the  introduction  of  the  plan  of  giving 
Sunday  morning  breakfasts, — of  finding  raiment 


156 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


for  those  in  want,  and  employment  for  the  unem¬ 
ployed, — has  also  worked  wonders  in  spreading  the 
cause.  Men,  who  were  on  the  verge  of  despair, 
finding  that  interest  was  taken  in  them,  have  be¬ 
come  encouraged — new  hopes  have  been  excited, 
and  they  redeemed  and  reformed. 

After  three  months  of  arduous  labors,  over  fifty 
thousand  signatures  had  been  secured  to  the  Mur¬ 
phy  pledge  of  total  abstinence.  From  these,  scores 
of  men  have  been  supplied  with  work,  and  received 
other  necessary  help. 


FRAUDS. 


And,  in  such  a  multitude,  it  would  appear  strange, 
if  some  u  frauds  ”  had  not  turned  up.  The  follow¬ 
ing  words,  taken  from  a  daily  paper,  merit  a  place 
here : 

u  The  thing  to  wonder  at  is,  that,  out  of  the 
thousands  of  hardened  men  that  have  found  their 
wray  to  the  Murphy  meetings,  not  a  greater  number 
have  been  found  unworthy  of  confidence.  The 
4  frauds  ’  which  have  surrounded  Murphy  are  really 
few.  They  are  quickly  detected  and  are  sent  on 
their  way  in  short  metre.  One  man  has  been  sent 
to  the  penitentiary.  This  person  had  obtained  an 
appointment  as  usher,  and  for  some  time  had  worn 
his  badge  of  office  unsuspected.  •Finally,  it  was 
discovered  that  he  was  a  thief,  and,  it  having  been 
proven  that  he  had  stolen  a  watch,  he  was  convicted 
and  sentenced. 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE.  157 

“It  is  known  that  the  pledge  has  been  taken  by 
some  just  for  the  purpose  of  bettering  their  condi¬ 
tion  in  a  mercenary  point  of  view.  Quite  a  num¬ 
ber  have  come  with  a  piteous  tale  of  poverty  and 
want,  and  have  obtained  clothing,  which  was  at 
once  taken  down  to  “  my  uncle,"  and  money  suffi¬ 
cient  to  pay  lor  a  few  drinks  obtained.  As  a  gene¬ 
ral  thing  such  characters  have  been  discovered,  and 
they  form  but  a  small  proportion  of  the  cold-water 
army. 


MOVEMENT  FREE  FROM  BAD  MEN. 

“  As  a  whole,  however,  the  movement  has  been 
remarkably  free  from  dishonest  men,  and,  it  is  esti¬ 
mated,  that  from  ninety  to  ninety-five  per  cent,  of 
those  who  have  signed  will  stick  to  their  pledge.” 

Some  of  the  noblest  names — belonging  to  the 
most  influential  families — have  been  wrested  from 
the  destroying  hand.  And,  from  among  these,  not 
a  few  have  been  freely  given  to  the  church — 
they  having  obtained  the  redemption  of  their  bodies 
tli rough  the  redemption  of  their  souls.  Many 
fathers  and  mothers  will  have  cause,  in  the  great 
day  of  accounts,  to  rise  up  and  call  Mr.  Murphy 
blessed. 


NO  EXAGGERATION. 

Of  course,  the  great  success  which  has  attended  the 
meetings  has  excited  surprise  and  wonder  at  every 


158 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


hand.  The  reports  of  the  numbers  which  thronged 
them,  were,  by  many,  considered  as  exaggerated, 
and  little  faith  was  placed  in  Mr.  Murphy’s  power 
to  accomplish  the  vast  amount  of  good  represented. 
But  when  they  had  seen  with  their  own  eyes,  and 
heard  with  their  own  ears,  they  were,  as  has  been 
said,  by  a  prominent  newspaper  authority,  “  firm 
believers  in  his  mighty  power,  through  God,  to  re¬ 
form  and  redeem  fallen  man  from  the  depths  of 
degradation  into  which  the  habit  of  drunkenness 
had  brought  them.” 


AT  ONCE  CONVINCED. 

At  this  point,  we  will  employ,  from  the  paper 
just  referred  to,  on  account  of  their  aptitude  and 
correctness,  the  following  reflections  : 

“  The  evils  of  intemperance  are  known  to  those 
whom  he  addresses.  In  almost  every  breast  there 
lurks  a  deep  desire  to  burst  from  the  fetters  with 
which  it  has  bound  them  ;  to  lead  new  lives,  and  be¬ 
come  honored  and  respected  in  society.  They  well 
know  the  many  sorrows  and  trials  that  a  career  of 
intemperance  has  brought  upon  them ;  and  hence  it 
is  when  Mr.  Murphy,  in  a  persuasive  and  affection¬ 
ate  manner,  points  out  to  them  the  way  of  relief, 
and  shows  the  error  of  their  ways,  they  are  at  once 
convinced  of  his  truthfulness. 

“  lie  touches  the  latent  desire  for  a  reformation. 
By  his  eloquence  he  arouses  a  feeling  of  resolve; 
and  men  are  persuaded  to  exercise  and  put  into  ex- 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


159 


ecution  a  will  to  do  better.  He  shows  that  if  we 
have  not  the  will  so  to  do,  we  surely  cannot  avoid 
that  temptation  which  brings  contempt,  disgrace 
and  misery.” 


NO  ABUSE. 

It  has  been  said  that  in  all  the  speeches  made  by 
Mr.  Murphy,  no  one  has  heard  him  use  a  hard  or 
unkind  word  against  those  engaged  in  the  sale  of 
liquors,  or  any  one  else.  His  heart  seems  to  beat  for 
all.  In  the  words  of  the  authority  just  quoted: 

44  He  deals  in  no  invectives  ;  wounds  not  the  sen¬ 
sibilities  (for  these  are  possessed  by  all,  in  a  greater 
or  less  degree)  of  the  fallen ;  but  persuades  and 
leads  them  to  make  an  effort — for  having  once  ob¬ 
tained  their  signature  to  the  pledge,  he  knows  one 
great  point  has  been  gained.  This  accomplished,  he 
encourages  them  to  keep  it;  and  not  by  words 
alone,  but  by  deeds. 

“A  Divine  Providence  has  indeed  blessed  Mr. 
Murphy’s  labors.  He  has  been  made  the  humble  in¬ 
strument  of  saving  many  souls  and  bringing  them 
within  the  means  of  Grace. 

A  LABOR  OF  LOVE. 

44  To  him,  it  is  a  labor  of  love.  Night  and  day  he 
pursues  his  self-imposed  task,  and  with  no  other 
desire  of  reward  than  that  of  accomplishing  grand 
results.  That  his  very  heart  and  soul  are  wrapped 


160 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


% 

up  in  his  cause,  is  evident  from  the  fervent  appeals 
made  by  him,  at  each  and  every  meeting,  with  all 
the  energy  and  lire  of  a  true  orator.” 

Truly,  we  may  add,  to  the  foregoing  thoughts, 
does  Mr.  Murphy  consider  the  claims  of  humanity 
upon  him;  and  truly,  does  he  seek  to  lure  from 
their  thraldom,  the  victims  of  the  most  cruel  of 
habits — as,  also,  to  succor  the  weak  and  oppressed. 


BUT  ONE  INSPIRATION. — NO  PREJUDICES. 

Thus,  in  all  his  work,  he  has  been  nerved  with  a 
sense  of  the  justice  of  his  cause.  Throughout  all 
his  labors  in  Pittsburg  and  Philadelphia,  as  every¬ 
where,  his  hopes  have  been  seen  to  be  fixed  upon 
greater  heights.  His  whole  nature  has  soared  out¬ 
ward  to  more  permanent  triumphs.  His  whole 
organism,  natural  and  spiritual,  has  been  apparently 
fixed  upon  one  thought,  one  purpose,  and  one  inspi¬ 
ration — that  of  Temperance!  Hundreds  and  thou¬ 
sands  have  been  lighted  by  the  truths  he  has  fur¬ 
nished.  They  have  been  warmed  by  the  affection 
he  has  exhibited.  They  have  been  won  by  the 
love  he  has  mirrored.  And  all  have  been  brought, 
unavoidably,  to  the  conviction,  that  the  Divine 
Hand  is  uppermost  in  the  work  done. 

Generally,  in  the  midst  ot  such  achievements, 
there  have  risen  up  powerful  prejudices.  Not  so,  in 
this  instance.  Mr.  Murphy  has  overpowered  any 
such  feelings,  if  they  have  existed.  His  name  and 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


161 


success  carry  with  them  the  most  unbounded  re¬ 
spect  and  confidence,  and  would  readily  sweep  aside 
all  hindrances  of  an  unworthy  nature. 


CHAPTER  XYI. 

FACTS  ABOUT  A  SUNDAY  BREAKFAST. 

Before  leaving  the  subject  of  our  last  chapter — ■ 
which  concerns  the  temperance  work  in  the  Quaker 
City — it  may  be  profitable  to  include  here  some  facts 
given  by  a  reporter,  in  connection  with  the  44  Sunday 
Breakfast  ”  plan  of  Mr.  Murphy.  This  has  not 
only  become  quite  a  feature  in  the  later  period  of 
the  movement,  but  has  been  recently  adopted  at 
several  points.  They  are  as  follows: 

“The  success  of  what  may  seriously  be  termed  the 
providential — it  is  certainly  a  4  happy  idea  ’  of  Mr. 
Murphy,  the  new  apostle  of  temperance,  to  appeal 
to  the  conscience  of  the  inebriate  under  the  influence 
of  a  full  stomach — was  plainly  manifested  yesterday 
morning  at  the  free  Sabbath  breakfast  given  under 
the  auspices  of  the  National  Christian  Temperance 
Union,  in  the  annex  building  of  the  Academy  of 
Fine  Arts. 

44  By  actual  count  the  breakfast  was  partaken  of 

by  five  hundred  and  forty-three  men,  twenty  or 

more  women,  several  children,  and  a  couple  of 

11 


162 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


babies ;  the  latter,  although  small  in  numbers  and 
in  their  mother’s  laps,  being  the  most  demonstrative 
in  the  expression  of  the  gratitude  which  was  pic¬ 
tured  on  each  and  every  countenance,  without  re¬ 
gard  to  sex,  nativity,  color, 4  or  previous  condition 
of  servitude  ’  to  rum. 

CAPT.  STURDIVANT  PRESENT. 

u  The  occasion  yesterday  was  increased  in  interest 
from  the  fact  that  the  man  who,  seven  years  ago, 
had  rescued  Mr.  Murphy  from  prison  and  shame, 
and  thus  restored  him  to  his  manhood,  was  present 
on  the  platform,  sitting  beside  the  man  he  had  re¬ 
stored  to  society,  and  subsequently  briefly  address¬ 
ing  the  assemblage.” 

On  his  way  to  the  breakfast  referred  to,  the  fol¬ 
lowing  matters  came  under  the  said  reporter’s  no¬ 
tice  : 

WHAT  A  GROUP  THOUGHT. 

u  I  tell  you,  I’d  rather  starve  than  go  and  be  fed 

like  a  pauper,”  was  the  remark  that  fell  on  the  ear 

as  he  passed  a  group  of  seedily-dressed  men  standing 

at  the  corner  of  Broad  and  Race  streets  shortly 

«/ 

before  eight  o’clock  yesterday  morning.  The  clouds 
were  gathering  and  a  rain  was  threatening  at  every 
moment. 

“  I  know  how  it  will  be ;  we  will  all  be  gathered 
like  dogs,  or  rather  hogs,  up  to  a  narrow  table,  and 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


163 


a  hundred  or  more  of  us,  blacks  and  whites,  will  be 
tusseling  with  each  other  after  a  plate  of  weak  soup ; 
and  then  we’ll  have  to  halloo  out  psalms  and  get 
down  on  our  marrow  bones  for  an  hour  or  two,  and 
then  listen  till  twelve  o’clock  all  about  how  wicked 
we  are  and  all  that,  as  if  we  didn’t  know  it  already. 
Xo ;  I  say,  boys,  I  think  I  can  get  that  fellow  over 
at  the  corner  where  we  spent  our  money  last  night 
to  4  hang  us  up  ’  for  a  round  of  beer,  and  he’ll  have 
a  bully  lunch — a  whole  lot  of  sausage,  fixings,  and 
black  bread,  besides  tiptop  soup  at  ten  o’clock,  and 
we  can  sit  down  and  enjoy  it;  what  do  you  say? 
Let’s  go  over  and  see  whether  the  landlord  is  up 
jet.” 


STOPPED  BY  A  YOUNG  LADY. 

“Just  as  a  decisive  vote  was  taken  by  an  advance 
movement  toward  the  beer  shop,  the  spokesman 
who  led  the  way  was  stopped  suddenly  by  a  young 
lady,  plainly  but  neatly  dressed,  and  wearing  a 
countenance  expressive  of  pure  benevolence.  The 
innate  nature  of  the  man  made  him  gentle  enough 
to  accept  a  printed  card  which  she  had  politely  ex¬ 
tended  to  him ;  and  the  others  followed  his  example 
with  a  ‘Thank  you,  miss!’ 

44 4  Why,  it’s  not  a  tract,’  exclaimed  the  spokesman 
in  astonishment  after  the  young  lady  had  passed  on. 
4  By  Jove,  if  it  ain’t  a  polite  invitation  for  us  to  go 
and  take  breakfast  with  Murphy.’ 


164 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


HOW  THE  THING  WORKS. 

“‘Well,  now,  that’s  another  kink.  Murphy,  I 
understood,  says  he  was  once  as  4  hard  up  ’  and  as 
‘down  in  the  heels’  as  we  are.  We  are  his  peers  1 
and  as  Mr.  Murphy  is  so  polite  as  to  extend  us  an 
invitation  in  his  formal  way,  why  we  can’t  do  any¬ 
thing  else  but  to  accept  it,  or  send  him  a  letter  of 
regret.’ 

“And  the  speaker  and  his  companions  laughed  a 
very  hungry  laugh,  as  he  gave  the  order,  ‘  Right 
about  face,  boys  1  I  have  known  in  my  time  what 
polite  society  requires.  Murphy  is  a  brick,  and  we 
mustn’t  go  back  on  him.’ 


IN  THE  BREAKFAST  ROOM. 

“And  the  reporter  followed  the  party  into  the 
breakfast  room.  The  aroma  of  coffee  that  met  the 
nostrils  as  one  entered  the  door  made  the  appetite 
keen.  A  number  of  well-dressed  youug  men  were 
quietly  but  swiftly  passing  around  among  five  hun¬ 
dred  or  more  of  shabbily-dressed  men  and  women, 
politely  filling  the  neat  cups  of  queensware  which 
each  of  the  latter  held  in  their  hands. 

“  Then  followed  another  company  of  young  men 
with  trays  heaped  with  the  most  appetizing  sand¬ 
wiches — not  the  sawdust  sandwiches  the  traveller 
has  to  put  up  with  at  the  railroad  stations,  but 


'GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


165 


sandwiches  that  4  melted  in  the  mouth/  as  it  were, 
and  made  the  eater  an  Oliver  Twist,  waiting  4  more.’ 

couldn’t  resist. 

“The  reporter  couldn’t  stand  the  temptation,  and, 
although  he  had  not  received  any  formal  invitation 
from  Mr.  Murphy,  he  went  in  and  4 joined  in  the 
crowd,’  and  the  thought  of  4  what  a  good  provider 
Mr.  Murphy  must  be  ’  had  hardly  revolved  itself 
in  the  minds  of  his  guests,  as  they  were  laying 
aside  their  cups  and  wiping  their  mouths,  when  the 
coffee  and  sandwich  companies  of  young  men  came 
among  them  again — this  time  not  only  filling  the 
cups,  but  inviting  each  and  every  guest  to  take  a 
couple  of  sandwiches  this  time,  or  more  if  he  felt 
he  could  4  go  it.’ 


THE  WORSHIP. 

44  And  all  this  time  a  choir  of  young  ladies  were 
singing  the  beautiful  hymns,  4  What  a  friend  we 
have  in  Jesus  ’  and  the  like.  So  that  after  all  had 
eaten,  and  Rev.  Dr.  Saul,  of  the  Episcopal  Church, 
had  read  the  4  lesson  of  the  day  ’  from  St.  Mat¬ 
thew,  4  No  man  can  serve  two  masters/  and  Rev. 
Dr.  Kynett  had  delivered  an  impressive  prayer 
of  thanks,  the  congregation  got  quite  sociable  and 
became  like  members  of  one  family,  saying,  4  Ain’t 
this  jolly,’  to  each  other. 

44  And  then  some  of  the  men  began  to  adjust  their 


166 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


hair  a  little  neatly,  brushing  down  the  stray  locks,, 
etc.,  and  the  women  ‘spruced  up’  their  bonnets  or 
head  gearing  and  spread  out  their  dresses  in  a  way 
to  hide  any  holes  or  patches. 

“  It  was  noticeable  that  the  large  majority  of  the 
men  had  clean  faces,  although  their  countenances  in 
many  cases  may  have  been  a  little  weather-beaten. 

PLEASANT  THINGS. 

u  The  dropping  of  a  pin  might  have  been  heard 
when  Mrs.  Lincoln  sang  the  beautiful  hymn,  4  What 
shall  the  harvest  be?’  the  entire  congregation  join¬ 
ing  in  the  chorus  in  voices,  which  although  coarse,, 
gave  evidence  of  devotion.  In  the  meantime,  Mr. 
Murphy,  Mr.  Stewart,  Rev.  Dr.  Westwood,  Rev.  Dr. 
Curry,  and  others,  went  among  the  people,  shaking 
hands,  congratulating  those  who  had  already  signed 
and  kept  the  pledge,  and  cheering  others  who  had 
not  yet,  but  contemplated  doing  so  ;  while  a  kindly- 
looking,  white-haired  physician  went  among  the 
mothers  giving  them  advice  as  to  the  ailings  of  their 
children  and  babies.  One  little  youngster  felt  so 
contented  that  he  tried  playing  hide-and-seek  under 
the  reporters’  tables,  which  are  located  directly  in 
front  of  the  platform. 

ALL  HAPPY. 

“  Everybody  seemed  to  feel  at  home  and  happy 
and  as  Mr.  Murphy  walked  down  the  aisle  arm-in- 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


167 


arm  with  the  well-known  journalist  familiarly  called 
‘  Deacon  Jones  ’ — his  latest  convert  of  prominence — 
the  people  began  to  applaud ;  but  this  was  speedily 
checked  when  Mr.  Baily  reminded  them  of  the 
day.” 


a  tippler’s  rebellion. 

Turning  from  the  circumstances  just  narrated,  it 
is  important  we  should  state,  that  this  is  not  uni 
versally  considered  a  struggle  in  which,  by  kind¬ 
ness  of  words  and  acts,  having;  reference  to  the 
science  of  gastronomy,  men  are  drawn  from  the 
ranks  of  sin.  Very  many  argue  that  the  time  had 
come  for  a  rebellion  against  rum ;  that  the  feeling 
among  drinking  men  had  been  working  that  way 
for  some  time  ;  and  that  the  country  was  ripe  for  a 
Francis  Murphy,  or  some  other  man,  to  lead  off  the 
battalions  who  at  last  had  become  disgusted  with 
their  slavery.  In  other  words,  that  the  feeling,  in 
these  days  of  light  and  progressiveness,  was  strong 
that,  since  drunkenness  is  treated  with  marked  dis¬ 
dain  by  public  sentiment,  there  were  an  army  of 
tipplers  and  drinkers,  who  wanted  to  find  some 
“good  excuse” — such  as  a  highly  wrought  condi¬ 
tion  of  popular  effort  and  sympathy — by  which  to 
get  back  to  honor  and  sobriety. 

MURPHY,  THE  TRUE  LEADER. 

Whilst  we  like  the  words  ua  Tippler’s  Rebellion,” 
in  that  sense,  we  don’t  admit  the  premises  at  alL 


168 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


Great  movements,  having  the  power  of  God  in 
them,  are  felt  not  alone  where  great  instruments  are 
employed.  Sometimes,  they  seem  to  embrace  a 
w7hole  land,  and  have  the  minds  and  hearts  of  peo 
pie  in  a  condition  of  receptivity,  highly  suggestive 
of  the  Almighty  omnipresence  and  mercy.  In  such 
a  case,  we  can  well  understand  how  the  air  is  full  of 
a  great  moral  reform,  and  how  the  mere  statement 
that  a  noble  work  is  done  at  one  point,  will  electrify 
and  start  another  into  a  blaze  of  effort  and  enthu¬ 
siasm.  This  is  a  Murphy  movement,  because  he  is 
Divinely  selected  as  the  leader.  But  it  is  more  than 
that.  It  is  the  power  of  a  loving  God  especially 
exerted  in  behalf  of  thousands  of  poor  perishing 
souls. 

THE  LEAVEN  OF  RELIGION. 

Truths  like  the  following,  do  not  disprove  our 
view  ;  but,  per  contra ,  show  the  leaven  of  religion 
among  a  class,  for  whom  more  prayers  are  daily 
offered,  and  more  labors  expended,  than  any  other. 
W e  merely  extract  this  report  from  among  hundreds, 
of  similar  import,  to  show  the  character  of  the 
present  temperance  tide : 

“  The  history  of  the  outbreak  and  results  of  the 
movement  in  the  little  town  of  Van  Ettenville,  H. 
Y.,  may  be  taken  as  an  example  of  what  has  been 
done  in  a  hundred  of  other  places  in  the  southern 
tier  of  counties  and  northwestern  Pennsylvania. 
‘Van  Ettenville  has  had  a  terrible  name/  Mr. 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


169 


Arnold,  formerly  a  bard  drinker,  said.  Probably 
more  liquor  was  drank  there  in  a  day  than  in  any 
other  town  of  its  size  in  the  State. 

HOW  IT  USED  TO  BE. 

44  In  political  times  whiskey  used  to  flow  in  the 
streets.  The  side  that  could  stand  the  largest  num- 
her  of  drinks  won  the  fight.  4  The  boys’ — Col. 
Caldwell,  Gen.  Gregg,  and  others — used  to  go  up 
from  Elmira  and  hold  meetings  that  generally 
ended  in  glorious  drunks.  Why,  they  laughed  at 
the  crusaders,  and  thought  it  good  fun. 

HOW  THE  CHANGE  BEGAN. 

“About  six  weeks  ago  one  of  the  best  fellows 
there  was  going  along  the  street,  one  morning,  and 
met  another.  The  first  said  :  4  You’re  looking  better 
lately  than  I’ve  seen  you  in  a  long  time.’  4  Well,  I 
am  better.  Fact  is,  I  havn’t  been  drinking  any¬ 
thing  for  about  two  weeks,  and  I’ve  about  made  up 
my  mind  that  I’ll  stop.’  4  Just  what  I’ve  been 
thinking  of  myself.  Havn’t  we  been  making  fools 
of  ourselves  long  enough  ?’  ” 

THE  RESULT. 

Out  of  such  a  conversation  as  this  the  movement 
in  Van  Ettenville  was  begun.  These  two,  with  a 
few  others,  sent  to  Elmira  for  speakers  for  a  meet- 


170 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


ing.  The  men  who  arranged  for  the  meeting,  who 
did  all  the  work,  and  who  packed  the  house  were,, 
or  had  been,  drinking  men.  The  place  was  carried 
completely. 


A  SLIGHT  INSTRUMENT. 

Another  instance,  in  demonstration  of  the  truth 
of  our  remarks,  may,  perhaps,  satisfy  the  reader : 

The  inauguration  of  the  movement  at  Somerset,. 
Ohio,  was  so  peculiar  as  to  warrant  notice,  and 
shows  how  slight  an  instrument  may  set  this  great 
machinery  of  reform  in  motion.  Two  carpenters, 
Taylor  and  Eagle,  having  squandered  nearly  all  the 
pay  for  a  certain  work  in  drink,  were  finishing  up 
in  Stein’s  saloon.  Taylor  produced  a  Murphy 
pledge,  which  his  brother,  a  reformed  drinker  at 
Lancaster,  had  sent  him,  and  began  to  talk  of  the 
movement.  Stein  jeered  at  him,  and  offered  him 
ten  cents  to  sign  it.  He  regarded  it  as  an  immense 
joke  when  Taylor  did  sign ;  and  Eagle,  having  no 
other  pledge,  signed  the  same  card.  A  few  days 
later,  Dr.  Rickey,  one  of  Lancaster's  noble  workers, 
saw  Taylor  here,  and  gave  him  the  eight  pledges  he 
happened  to  have  with  him.  In  less  than  an  hour 
lie  was  back  for  more.  New  pledges  were  ordered 
printed,  and  in  a  very  short  time  the  enthusiasm 
called  for  public  meetings,  and  the  Murphy  move¬ 
ment  was  begun. 

And  thus  we  find  it  through  Indiana,  New  York, 
Pennsylvania,  Maryland,  and  throughout  most  of 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


171 


the  States.  By  insignificant  beginnings  a  flame  of 
enthusiasm  has  been  kindled. 

THE  REPORTS  FROM  ALL  PARTS. 

We  cannot,  in  a  work  of  this  description,  intended 
for  the  people  of  our  whole  country,  either  confine 
our  thoughts  to  local  successes,  or  regard  the  whole 
field,  to  any  extent.  This  is  impossible.  But,  we 
will  remark,  that  we  have  before  us  reports  from  all 
portions,  in  the  North,  South,  East,  and  West, 
showing  how  wonderfully  the  tide  of  Temperance 
is  washing  over  our  immense  domain.  In  some 
towns,  and  even  small  cities,  one-half  the  people 
have  signed  the  Murphy  pledge.  In  others,  nearly 
the  whole  population  have  signed.  In  others,  all 
the  taverns  and  saloons  have  closed,  and  the  whiskey 
has  been  emptied  into  streets,  or  streams.  In  fact, 
people  generally  hardly  know  what  to  make  of  the 
present  movement.  As  to  where  it  will  eud,  no  one 
can  be  found  courageous  enough  to  hazard  an 
opinion 

But  there  is  a  deep  feeling  prevalent  that  the 
whole  country  is  to  be  shaken  as  never  before. 


CHAPTER  X  Y  1 1 . 

RIBBON- WE  ARING . 

Following  our  brief  remarks  upon  the  so-called, 
by  some,  u  tippler’s  rebellion,”  and  the  general  upris- 


172 


THE'TRUE  PATH. 


ing,  we  feel  constrained  to  allude  to  another  feature 
in  this  extraordinary  campaign.  It  is  the  general 
disposition  to  be  identified  with  the  reform  side  of 
it  in  many  parts.  In  Pittsburg,  at  various  points 
West  and  South,  and  in  parts  of  Pennsylvania,  New 
York  and  other  States,  a  bit  of  blue  ribbon  is  worn, 
often  in  the  shape  of  a  neat  tie,  in  a  button-hole  of 
the  coat,  by  the  friends  of  the  Murphy  movement. 

DIFFERENT  COLORS. 

At  some  places  red  ribbon,  as  also  white,  is  freely 
worn.  For  instance,  wherever  you  walk  in  the 
streets  of  Indianapolis  you  will  find  nearly  every 
third  person  with  a  red  ribbon,  every  sixth  with  a 
white,  and  every  tenth  with  a  blue.  The  blue  is 
worn  by  members  of  the  “  Murphy  ”  League,  an  or¬ 
ganization  that  differs  slightly  from  the  Red  Ribbon 
in  the  framing  of  their  constitution  and  form  of 
pledge.  The  white  ribbon  is  worn  by  women  and 
youths  under  eighteen,  and  might  be  termed  the 
badge  of  a  side  degree  of  the  Red  Ribbon  League, 
women  and  children  not  being  allowed  to  enter  into 
full  communion.  The  difference  between  the  form 
of  the  blue  ribbon  pledge,  and  the  red  ribbon,  is  only 
slight,  as  will  be  seen  by  a  comparison  of  the  Mur¬ 
phy  pledge,  published  at  the  beginning  of  this  vol¬ 
ume,  and  the  following  : 

THE  RED  RIBBON  PLEDGE. 

“  We,  the  undersigned,  for  our  own  good  and  the 
good  of  the  world  in  which  we  live,  do  hereby 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


178 


promise  and  engage,  with  the  help  of  Almighty 
God,  to  abstain  from  buying,  selling  or  using  alco¬ 
holic  or  malt  beverages,  wine  or  cider  included.” 

GOOD  PURPOSES. — THE  STRUGGLE. 

The  wearing  of  the  ribbon  has  various  good  pur¬ 
poses  ;  and,  among  others,  can  scarcely  fail  to  protect 
the  wearer  against  that  greatest  of  all  temptations, 
the  invitation  to  take  a  drink. 

The  Murphy  Club,  at  the  point  referred  to,  is  more 
recently  organized  than  the  Red  Ribbon  League,  but 
bids  fair  to  equal  it  in  point  of  numbers.  Not  a 
few  places  in  the  W est  show  a  goodly  proportion  of 
red  badges,  and  tend  to  confirm  the  opinion  that  the 
struggle  against  the  monster  evil  of  our  day,  so  over¬ 
powering  and  varied  in  its  effect,  as  also  universal, 
has  its  origin  in  the  Great  Head  of  our  Holy  Religion. 

MURPHY,  THE  LEADER. 

Nevertheless,  we  would  be  untrue  to  ourselves,  did 
we  not  here  insist,  that  after  a  thorough  canvass  of 
the  whole  field,  it  is  evident  that  the  great  human 
leader  is  the  subject  of  this  biography.  Other  move¬ 
ments  have  had  great  leaders,  in  all  instances.  This 
one  has  but  a  single  general  at  its  head,  and  that  man 
is  Francis  Murphy. 

ALL  ARE  murphy’s  FOLLOWERS. 

In  the  West,  where  a  grand  work  is  progressing, 
the  prominent  men  are  chiefly  Murphy’s  followers.. 


174 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


In  a  single  report,  from  the  “  Queen  City  ”  of  the 
West,  we  have  the  following  fact : 

“  Last  evening  a  ‘Murphy  meeting’  was  held  at 
the  Presbyterian  Church  on  Sixth  street,  presided 
over  by  three  gentlemen.  Mr.  McMasters  opened 
with  one  of  the  most  thrilling  appeals  I  ever  heard 
from  any  platform.  The  man  was  terribly  in  earnest, 
and  at  its  conclusion,  while  the  choir  sang  ‘  Hold 
the  Fort/  scores  of  men,  women  and  children  sur¬ 
rounded  the  pledge  tables  that  they  might  give  in 
their  adherence  to  the  cause. 

PEOPLE  DEMANDING  TO  SIGN. 

“The  large  building  was  crowded.  The  young  and 
the  old,  the  rich  and  the  poor,  male  and  female, 
obeyed  the  call.  Men  in  the  last  stages  of  inebria¬ 
tion  staggered  to  the  front  and  demanded  an  oppor¬ 
tunity  to  sign.  Wives  led  their  husbands,  and  little 
children  their  fathers,  until,  the  hour  of  midnight 
approaching,  the  vast  crowd  slowly  dispersed.  These 
gatherings  are  invariably  conducted  under  the  au¬ 
spices  of  prayer,  for  they  say  it  is  God’s  work  and 
not  man's. 

“  Touching  scenes  are  witnessed  in  these  assem¬ 
blies.  Those  who  have  been  severed  from  their 
families  because  of  their  appetite  for  liquor  are  there 
united  with  them  again  ;  young  men,  who  have  been 
travelling  down  hill,  come  up  with  their  mothers, 
and,  amid  tears  of  joy  and  the  congratulations  of 
.friends,  their  names  go  down,  the  blue  badge  is 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE.  175 

pinned  on,  and  they  go  out  determined  to  4  hold 
the  fort/  ” 

FIREBRANDS. 

In  searching  among  the  reports  from  all  sections, 
it  is  apparent  that  the  movement  is  rightly  named,  so 
far  as  its  human  paternity  is  concerned.  The  pupils 
and  converts  of  the  Irish  temperance  orator,  are 
scattered  abroad  among  the  States  and  are  as  fire¬ 
brands;  for  they  are  lighting  up  the  hills  and  val¬ 
leys  from  one  end  of  our  country  to  the  other.  Yea, 
more,  they  go  beyond  our  degree,  or  system  of  civili¬ 
zation,  and  stepping  across  the  boundary  lines,  in¬ 
flame  the  people  of  the  Canadas,  and  here  and  there 
awaken  the  drowsy  minds  of  far  off*  Europe  upon  this 
subject. 


“  DO  THEY  STICK.” 

An  important  question  in  connection  with  this  sub¬ 
ject  is,  do  those  who  sign  the  pledge  keep  it?  In 
answer  to  this  we  will  refer  to  a  paragraph  from  a 
Pittsburg  authority:  ‘‘Another  peculiar  feature  of 
this  revival  is  the  amount  of  4  sticking  7  that  is  being 
done.  Heretofore  it  has  been  too  often  the  practice 
to  reform  one  day  and  go  around  as  an  awful  example 
the  next.  But  in  the  present  instance  it  is  different. 
The  pledge  has  now  been  open  for  signatures  over 
nine  weeks,  and  out  of  the  forty  thousand  who  have 
signed  it,  the  4  back-sliders  ’  would  not  make  a  cor- 


176 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


poral’s  guard.  The  men  who  sign  seem  to  identify 
themselves  with  the  movement,  and  are  constantly  on 
hand  at  all  the  meetings.  They  encourage  one 
another,  and  it  is  a  very  rare  thing  to  hear  the 
revival  spoken  of  disrespectfully  by  anyone.” 

In  addition,  we  are  reliably  informed  that  John 
Lang,  the  railroad  man  of  Pittsburg,  says  that,  out  of 
5000  of  his  employes  who  have  taken  the  obligation, 
but  three  have  thus  far  fallen,  and  I  think  that  this 
is  a  sufficient  answer  to  the  question. 

In  Philadelphia,  it  is  a  matter  of  common  report 
that  from  the  thousands  of  inebriates,  and  “ respect¬ 
able”  drinkers  who  have  signed  during  the  first 
three  months’  campaign,  not  a  “  baker’s  dozen  ”  have 
fallen  away.  On  the  contrary,  they  are  as  full  of 
good  purpose,  and  as  eager  to  continue  the  struggle, 
as  it  is  possible  for  men  to  be.  The  statements  of  the 
Murphy  Committee  are  evidently  as  reliable  as  it  is 
possible  for  anything  of  the  kind  to  be,  and  they 
show  that,  in  this  work,  as  never  before,  the  men 
honor  and  hold  high  their  noble  pledges. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

MR.  MURPHY’S  COMPENSATION. 


As  has  already  been  stated,  Mr.  Murphy  received 
a  certain  amount  of  compensation  while  in  Pittsburg. 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


177 


He  has,  also,  been  in  receipt  of  a  stipulated  amount 
while  in  Philadelphia.  This  method  has  been  ren¬ 
dered  imperatively  necessary  from  the  fact  that  Mr. 
Murphy  cannot  live  upon  the  wind.  He  has  been 
engaged,  an  authority  has  said,  “in  the  temperance 
work  for  seven  years,  and  during  that  time  his  com¬ 
pensation  has  been  such  only  as  has  come  to  him 
through  voluntary  contributions,  and  these  amounts 
have  often  been  inadequate  to  the  paying  of  his  per¬ 
sonal  expenses. 


URGED  TO  LECTURE. 

“  Mr.  Murphy  has  repeatedly  been  urged  to  leave 
his  present  field  of  labor,  to  accept  invitations  to  lec¬ 
ture  at  the  rate  of  two  hundred  dollars  a  night,  but 
has  steadily  refused,  fearing  that  under  the  peculiar 
reasoning  which  some  people  always  adopt  at  these 
popular  uprisings,  it  might  create  issues  which  would 
affect  his  influence  as  a  reformer,  and  that  his  motives 
might  be  misconstrued. 

CONSENTS,  BUT  CANCELS  ENGAGEMENTS. 

“  Recently,  however,  Mr.  Murphy’s  personal  friends, 
claiming  that  he  had  the  right  to  provide  for  the 
future  wants  of  himself  and  family  of  six  children, 
with  the  same  propriety  with  which  ministers  of  the 
gospel  and  others  engage  in  charitable  work  to  pro¬ 
vide  for  their  wants,  induced  him  to  consent  to  deliver 

twenty  lectures  for  $200  each. 

12 


178 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


“His  first  lecture  was  to  have  been  delivered  at 
Titusville,  Pa.  Considerable  adverse  criticism  was 
excited  by  the  publication  of  his  acceptance  of  the 
offer, justifying  the  orator’s  fears;  so  he  immediately 
cancelled  all  his  engagements  on  such  terms,  and  will 
be  dependent  upon  voluntary  contributions  for  his 
support.” 

In  reference  to  this  subject,  the  New  York  Sun, 
after  some  adverse  criticism  upon  Mr.  Murphy’s 
lecturing  project,  sent  a  reporter  to  the  orator  for  the 
purpose  of  interviewing  him,  which  resulted  in 
eliciting  the  following  from  him : 

A  PAUPER. 

“I  am  not  worth  a  dollar  in  the  world.  I  am 
really  a  pauper,  and  that  is  a  hard  thing  to  say.  I 
have  six  children  ;  two  I  am  educating  at  college,  one 
is  with  me  as  my  private  secretary,  one  with  me  be¬ 
cause  he  has  nowhere  else  to  be,  one  married  daugh¬ 
ter,  and  a  son  in  Pittsburg.  Now  these  little  ones 
are  absolutely  dependent  on  me  for  support. 

“  Seven  years  ago  I  owed  $7,000.  That  I  have 
paid  off*,  all  but  $500.  My  wife  died  in  1870.  Now 
everywhere  that  I  have  been  I  have  relied  entirely 
upon  the  voluntary  contributions  for  my  support  and 
my  children’s.  It  is  hard  to  be  dependent  on  real 
charity,  but  I  am  human,  and  have  wants. 

“A  few  days  ago  I  went  to  Elmira  by  request  and 
delivered  a  lecture  on  temperance.  For  this  I  re¬ 
ceived  $200,  and  I  needed  the  money  sadly.  Then  I 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


179 


was  urged  to  go  to  Titusville.  I  wrote  them  the 
letter  that  was  printed  in  the  Sun.  I  had  also  ac¬ 
cepted  some  twenty  other  engagements  to  lecture  at 
that  price. 

MAKING  A  MISTAKE. 

“Then  I  saw  the  Sun’s  article,  and  the  Sun  was 
right  in  its  reasoning.  I  had  felt  that  I  was  making 
a  mistake,  one  that  would  make  the  view  the  Sun 
took  a  just  one.  People  would  say,  1  Of  course  he 
preaches  temperance  when  he  can  make  $200  a  night 
by  it.’  I  had  felt  that  I  ought  not  to  do  it,  but  I 
was  persuaded  against  my  better  judgment,  and  I 
cannot  blame  the  Sun  for  expressing  what  must  have 
been  the  views  of  thousands.  I  am  glad  it  did  it,  for 
it  convinced  me  that  my  apprehensions  were  right  in 
the  first  place,  and  I  immediately  cancelled  every 
one  of  my  engagements. 

A  FACT  NOT  UNDERSTOOD. 

“At  the  same  time  I  don’t  think  it  is  generally 
understood  that  this  lecture  was  outside  of  my  regular 
work.  It  is  a  specially  prepared  lecture,  treating  of 
temperance  as  a  social  and  economic  question  wholly. 
It  has  nothing  to  do  with  my  work,  that  of  urging 
on  men  the  duty  and  benefit  of  abstinence. 

“  The  only  wrong  about  it  is  that  it  gives  color  to 
the  charge  that  I  am  making  money  out  of  my  prin¬ 
ciples,  and  that,  of  course,  must,  unless  checked,  hurt 


180 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


my  work.  Yes,  the  Sun  took  the  natural  view  of  it; 
and  no  one  can  say  after  this  that  I  get  anything  ex¬ 
cept  that  which  will  pay  my  own  and  my  children’s 

expenses.” 


STRICTURES. 

The  National  Temperance  Advocate,  in  an  article 
upon  the  above,  as  well  as  the  strictures  that  here 
and  there  have  been  dealt  upon  those  of  the  front 
in  the  movement,  has  spoken  out  freely.  W e  leave 
the  reader  to  his  own  conclusions: 

“The  enemies  of  temperance  have  always  raised  a 
great  hue  and  cry  about  men  who  are  working  in 
the  temperance  cause,  charging  that  they  were  1  mak¬ 
ing  money  out  of  it.’  This  has  been  especially  so  in 
the  Reform  movement. 

THE  LABORER  WORTHY. 

uAt  Pittsburg  this  cry  was  raised,  and  we  are 
sorry  to  hear  that  Mr.  Murphy  and  his  friends  noticed 
it  or  were  troubled  about  it.  The  laborer  is  worthy 
of  his  hire.  The  enemies  of  temperance  have  always 
raised  this  cry  against  those  who  were  effective  in 
doing  anything  against  the  traffic.  Dr.  Reynolds 
and  Col.  Hoy  are  also  receiving  the  same  treatment. 
This  is  a  sign  that  somebody  is  getting  hurt. 

“  We  beg  our  friends  not  to  mind  or  notice  this 
device  of  the  devil.  Pittsburg  cannot  pay  Mr. 
Murphy  in  dollars  and  cents  for  his  great  and  good 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


181 


work  there,  nor  the  other  host  of  faithful,  devoted 
workers  who  have  been  so  successful. 

COULD  EARN  MORE  IN  OTHER  DIRECTIONS. 

“  Those  who  labor  in  this  cause,  giving,  their  time 
and  best  efforts,  are  entitled  to  a  fair  remuneration 
for  the  same.  These  men  could  earn  a  far  greater 
sum  of  money  with  their  talents  applied  in  other  di¬ 
rections,  but  are  consecrated  to  their  work,  and 
should  not  notice  these  feeble  attempts  of  the  enemies 
of  temperance  to  impede  the  progress  of  the  move¬ 
ment  so  full  of  glorious  results.” 

MR.  MURPHY’S  WORDS  SUBSTANTIATED. 

In  corroboration  of  the  remarks  made  by  Mr. 
Murphy,  to  the  reporter  of  the  Sun,  that  he  has  been 
opposed  to  the  lecturing  business,  we  will  here  furnish 
a  few  remarks  made  to  a  Cincinnati  reporter  by  Mr. 
Smithson,  one  of  Mr.  Murphy’s  friends  and  helpers: 

“  I  have  seen  him  refuse  $400  a  night.  He  goes 
in  for  the  work,  not  for  the  money.  Theodore 
Paisley  offered  him  $250  a  night  for  four  months, 
lie  offered  to  guarantee  him  that  amount  to  go  lec¬ 
turing  over  the  country.  This  he  refused  because  he 
is  working  to  save  men.  He  wants  to  go  to  a  place 
and  stay  there,  and  work  it  up  thoroughly  before  he 
leaves.  When  he  goes  into  a  place  he  wants  to  be 
free  to  go  and  come  whenever  he  has  a  mind  to.” 


182 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

MR.  MURPHY’S  CHILDREN. 

The  reader  may  desire  to  know  something  of  the 
family  of  Mr.  Murphy,  and  of  the  appearance  and 
characteristics  of  the  man,  before  we  close  this  bio¬ 
graphy.  Seven  children  were  the  fruits  of  his  mar¬ 
riage,  of  whom  six  are  still  alive.  One,  a  daughter, 
Mary,  is  married  and  resides  in  Portland,  Maine. 
The  others,  four  boys  and  one  girl,  are  living  in 
Sterling,  Illinois.  One  of  his  sons  has  been  accom¬ 
panying  him,  in  his  travels,  and  during  his  labors, 
and  acting  in  the  capacity  of  private  secretary. 

the  lecturer  himself. 

Mr.  Murphy  is  a  short,  stout  man,  of  fine  physique, 
weighing  about  one  hundred  and  eighty  pounds.  He 
has  a  large,  well-developed  head,  heavy  brows  and 
moustache,  rather  prominent  features,  and  piercing 
gray  eyes.  His  presence  is  attractive  and  imposing. 
He  is  largely  supplied  with  what  is  known  as  animal 
magnetism,  and  has  about  him  an  open  way,  that  is 
quite  popular. 

WHEN  BEFORE  AN  AUDIENCE. 

“  When  he  talks  to  an  audience,’7  said  one  of  his 
friends,  a  short  time  since,  u  his  speeches  are  delivered 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


188 


in  an  easy  manner  at  first,  but  generally,  after  he  has 
spoken  slowly  and  smoothly  for  a  while,  an  inspira¬ 
tion  seems  to  strike  him  ;  he  sets  himself  as  if  he  was 
going  to  give  a  man  a  blow,  and  for  ten  or  fifteen 
minutes  the  language  flows  from  him  like  a  stream  of 
water  from  a  great  fountain.  You  might  as  well  take 
hold  of  a  magnetic  battery  as  to  take  hold  of  his  hand 
sometimes  to  shake  hands  with  him.  He  is  a  very 
attractive  man,  all  sympathy,  all  heart.” 

A  SUPERIOR  CHARACTER. 

In  all  respects,  he  is  a  superior  character.  Some 
of  his  friends  in  Pittsburg,  have  used  the  following 
language,  in  a  brief  description  of  him  : 

“  He  is  one  of  nature’s  noblemen,  honest,  straight¬ 
forward,  never  afraid  to  say  what  he  thinks,  yet  at  all 
times  filled  with  the  kindest  regard  for  the  feelings 
of  others.  He  makes  no  obeisance  to  wealth  or  posi¬ 
tion,  and  humbles  himself  only  before  the  sorrows  of 
his  fellowmen.  In  other  words,  a  man  “  with  a  heart 
to  love,  and  courage  to  make  that  love  known."  His 
devotion  to  the  temperance  cause  is  a  mania  with 
him  ;  and  his  purse  is  as  open  as  his  heart  to  the  cry 
of  distress,  but  unfortunately,  not  as  full.  His  re¬ 
ligious  convictions  are  also  intense,  and  his  quaint, 
trustful  reliance  upon  the  Saviour  has  all  the  sim¬ 
plicity  of  a  little  child.  Underlying  all  this  sim¬ 
plicity  and  mildness,  however,  is  a  force  of  will  and 
determination  of  character  that  speaks  the  man  born 
to  lead  his  fellowmen.” 


184 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


He  is  naturally  quick  and  impulsive.  Yet  he  has 
a  sensitiveness  of  the  most  pronounced  kind.  He  is 
as  tender  as  a  child.  Disappointment  and  indiffer¬ 
ence  on  the  part  of  some,  who  have  unintentionally 
wounded  him,  have  roused  within  him  a  feeling  that 
has,  in  instances,  brought  him  to  his  knees,  in 
earnest  and  importunate  prayer,  that  the  evil  spirit 
might  be  entirely  removed  from  him. 

“BOTHER  THEIR  BLARNEY.” 

Mr.  Murphy  is  always  hunted  by  his  friends  and 
surrounded  by  them.  You  can  seldom  find  him 
alone,  or  at  rest  while  iu  a  campaign.  Homage 
and  adulation  meet  him  at  every  hand.  Often  he  is 
compelled,  on  account  of  the  ovations  accorded  him, 
to  press  his  way,  under  great  difficulty,  through  his 
friends, 4  ‘  yet,55  returning  to  the  words  of  the  pub¬ 
lished  account  alluded  to,  “  as  he  shoulders  and 
elbows  his  way  through  his  admirers,  so  has  he 
shouldered  and  elbowed  his  way  through  the  snares 
and  seductions  which  their  admiration  has  laid  in  his 
path,  his  private  battle-cry  being,  ‘bother  their 
blarney.5  5' 

“lie  had  been  in  Pittsburg  two  months  before  he 
accepted  any  of  the  many  invitations,  of  a  social 
nature,  poured  in  upon  him.  And  his  retirement 
was  at  broken  in  upon  only  by  the  intimation 
that  he  was  developing  a  lack  of  sociability  out  of 
tune  with  his  ardent  nature.  So,  in  refutation  of  this, 
he  occasionally  forsook  the  privacy  of  his  rooms,  and 
accepted  a  few  invitations  to  dinner  and  tea. 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


185 


IS  NOT  UNSOCIAL. 


“Lest  this  might  lead  to  a  false  conception  of  his 
character,  it  is  but  fair  to  say  that  he  is  not  unsocia¬ 
ble,  in  any  way.  All  meet  with  a  warm  reception 
from  him.  He  is  always  pleased  to  chat,  and  has  a 
peculiar  way  of  looking  a  speaker  or  listener  in  the 
eyes,  and  saying  just  what  he  thinks,  in  a  positive 
way. 

“For  mere  curiosity-seekers,  who  intrude  upon  his 
privacy  as  though  he  were  some  rara  avis  on  exhibi¬ 
tion,  though  he  has  a  courteous  reception  and  genial 
manner,  he  is  not  slow  in  evincing  a  distaste.  Let 
any  one  come  to  him  charged  to  the  brim  with  tem¬ 
perance,  and  Mr.  Murphy  is  immediately  in  his  ele¬ 
ment,  and  can  talk  and  listen,  for  he  is  a  good 
listener, — a  subject  more  rarely  met  with  than  a  good 
talker.  He  can  sit  and  converse  with  such  an  one  as 
though  he  would  never  weary,  until  at  last  time  ap¬ 
prises  him  that  the  hour  of  meeting  approaches,  and 
then  generally  ensues  a  highly  interesting  scene. 


“that  hat.’7 


“‘Where’s  my  hat?  Now  what’s  become  of  that 
hat?  I  left  that  hat  here,  or  somewhere  else;  and, 
I’m  sure  of  it ;  in  fact,  I  know  I  did.’  .The  visitor 
so  appealed  to  immediately  lends  his  assistance  in 
the  search  for  the  hat.  The  stranger  naturally  looks 
on  tables,  bureaus,  and  pegs ;  but  Mr.  Murphy,  more 


186 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


wise  in  his  own  ways,  looks  under  the  bed,  and  under 
the  washstand,  lest  ‘that  hat’  should  have  deter¬ 
mined  to  retire  from  business  into  such  an  unlooked- 
for  privacy. 

u  No  hat  turning  up,  a  pair  of  boots  are  vigorously 
seized  upon  and  pounded  together  by  the  heels,  as 
though  they  had  entered  into  a  conspiracy  to  hide 
the  hat  away  down  in.  unfathomable  depths.  Next 
the  bedclothes  and  half  the  mattress  undergoes  an  in¬ 
vestigation,  and,  just  as  the  hatless  orator  casts  con¬ 
fiscating  glances  at  the  tile  of  his  visitor,  as  if  he  con¬ 
templated  seizing  upon  it  and  making  a  bolt  for 
liberty  and  the  evening  meeting,  a  corner  of  the 
truant  hat  peeps  out  from  beneath  a  pile  of  news¬ 
papers,  clothes,  brushes,  books  and  sundries,  and  is 
seized  upon  in  triumph.  That  hat  has  a  most  un¬ 
accountable  way  of  strolling  around  on  its  own  hook. 

IT  RAMBLES  ABOUT. 

“  Scarcely  a  meeting  occurs  that  it  does  not,  after 
seeing  its  owner  well  warmed  up  in  his  work,  slyly 
levant.  It  rambles  around  on  a  voyage  of  discovery 
from  one  side  of  the  chancel  to  the  other ;  hob-nobs 
with  other  hats;  fraternizes  with  all  the  chair  bot¬ 
toms  it  can  come  across,  tangles  itself  up  with  over¬ 
coats,  and  at  last  takes  a  ride  on  the  toe  of  some  boot 
into  an  obscure  corner,  where  it  lays,  chucklingly 
awaiting  its  owner’s  anxiety,  and  the  familiar  cry  of 
‘where’s  my  hat?’  at  the  close  of  the  meeting. 

“  It  went  off  once,  and  was  gone  two  days,  and  at 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


187 


last  turned  up  under  the  hotel  parlor’s  sofa,  looking 
as  though  it  had  been  keeping  very  bad  company. 
The  hat  secured,  and  overcoat  on,  the  next  subject 
of  anxiety  becomes  his  overshoes.  After  laborious 
search  one  is  discovered  in  the  hat  box,  and  with  the 
resigned  consideration  that  he  can  use  that  foot  to 
step  in  the  mud  with  while  he  pilots  the  other  on  dry 
land,  he  takes  his  visitor  by  the  arm,  and  as  the  two 
proceed  accidentally  thrusts  his  hand  in  an  overcoat 
pocket,  and,  with  a  dazed  look  of  astonishment, 
draws  out  the  other/shoe.  How  it  got  there  is  mat¬ 
ter  for  profound  speculation,  until  the  course  of  cogi¬ 
tation  is  rudely  interrupted  by  an  impetuous  saluta¬ 
tion,  4 1  want  you  to  com;  up  to  meeting,  to-night! 
Now,  you  must  come,’  as  he  chances  across  some 
one,  who,  though  a  perfect  stranger,  may  look  as 
though  a  pledge  in  his  pocket  would  do  him  good. 

MR.  MURPHY  NOT  ARTIFICIALLY  RESERVED. 


“  There  is  nothing  distant,  and  no  artificial  reserve 
about  Mr.  Murphy.  He  never  hesitates  to  speak  to 
a  man  (in  the  interest  of  4  the  cause  ’)  because  he 
does  not  know  him. 

“If  he  passes  a  saloon-keeper,  standing  at  the  door 
of  his  saloon,  it’s  4  Brother,  I  want  to  shake  hands 
with  you,’  and  the  hand  of  the  person  solicited  is 
never  refused ;  but,  in  short  order,  the  best  of  feel¬ 
ings  are  inaugurated  between  the  two  men,  whose 
avocations  are  so  antipodal. 


e 


188 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


SCRUPULOUSLY  TIDY. 

“  Judging  by  the  tricks  played  upon  him  by  that 
hat  and  those  gum  shoes,  a  stranger  might  be  led  to 
infer  that  Mr.  Murphy  was  careless  in  the  matter  of 
personal  appearance.  Nothing  could  be  more  remote 
from  the  truth.  There  are  no  eccentricities,  of  either 
dress,  deportment  or  genius,  about  him.  Personally, 
he  is  scrupulously  clean  and  tidy,  and  has  a  great 
regard  for  neatness  of  attire,  as  well  as  neatness  of 
demeanor 


i 


I 


9 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


189 


PART  III -INTERESTING 

ADDRESSES  AND  EXTRACTS. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

►  SPEECH  OF  MR.  MURPHY  AT  COLUMBUS. 

As  many  readers  will  want  to  have  before  them  a 
full  speech  of  the  great  Temperance  Apostle,  so  that 
they  may  become  acquainted  with  his  style,  we  have 
selected,  as  a  fair  specimen,  an  address  delivered  by 
him  at  the  Opera  House,  at  Columbus,  Ohio,  in  June, 
1877.  It  is  characteristic,  and  will  amply  repay  a 
perusal : 

“  Mr.  Chairman  ;  My  Friends  : — I  am  glad  to  be 
here  to-night  and  listen  to  the  testimony  of  these  two 
Christian  gentlemen  who  have  been  the  means,  under 
God,  of  bringing  joy  and  peace  to  so  many  hearts. 
I  am  glad  to  be  here,  and  to  stand  on  this  platform 
and  have  the  honor  of  being  introduced  by  this 
young  gentleman,  who  has  been  redeemed  through 
the  kind  ministrations  of  my  brother  David  Hall, 
and  who,  to-night,  stands  erect  in  all  the  dignity  of 
his  new-born  life,  and  can  stand  up  and  say,  ‘  I  know 


190 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


that  if  the  earthly  house  of  this  tabernacle  were  dis¬ 
solved,  I  have  a  building  of  God,  a  house  not  made 
with  hands,  eternal  in  the  heavens.’  And  though 
this  work  should  cease,  and  though  nothing  else 
should  have  been  accomplished  through  the  visit  to 
your  city  but  the  redemption,  the  complete  redemp¬ 
tion,  of  this  young  man  would  be  a  sufficient  remu¬ 
neration  for  every  cent  that  you  have  paid  out,  for 
every  night  that  you  have  spent  and  for  every  prayer 
that  you  have  uttered.  May  God  bless  the  move¬ 
ment,  and  may  it  continue  to  go  on  until  the  last 
wandering  son  has  been  redeemed  and  brought  back 
to  his  father’s  house,  and  received  the  best  robe  and 
the  gold  ring  and  pair  of  shoes.  Thanks  be  to  God 
for  the  triumphs  of  this  moral  reform  that  has  nothing 
in  it  of  malice,  nothing  in  it  of  hatred,  nothing  in  it 
of  egotism,  nothing  in  it  of  self-righteousness  ;  for  we 
don’t  stand  off  and  pray  and  thank  God  that  we  are 
not  like  other  people  ;  that  we  pay  our  taxes  and 
tithes,  and  such  things  as  that ;  we  prefer  to  stand 
by  the  foot  of  the  cross  and  say,  ’  Lord,  be  merciful 
to  me,  a  sinner.’  That  is  our  prayer  ;  and  with  it 
we  shall  go  forth,  not  claiming  any  self-righteousness, 
not  claiming  that  we  are  holier  than  others,  and  fear 
to  come  in  contact  with  our  fellow-men  when  we 
meet  them,  lest  our  garments  become  soiled  ;  but  if 
you  are  men,  by  the  grace  of  God  ;  if  the  golden  links 
of  the  brotherhood  of  man  have  been,  so  to  speak, 
clinched  around  our  hearts,  and  by  God’s  invisible 
angel  carried  to  the  everlasting  throne  and  there  se¬ 
curely  fastened — if  this  has  been  done,  we  can  go 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


191 


down  into  the  wilderness,  blessed  be  God;  we  can  go 
down  into  the  wilderness  and  to  the  solitary  places, 
and  to  the  prisons  of  this  country  and  proclaim  lib¬ 
erty  to  the  captives  and  the  opening  of  a  better  life  to 
the  oppressed  of  this  country,  to  the  weeping  wives 
and  starving  children. 

A  TRIBUTE  TO  u  BROTHER  DAVID”  AND  (t  BROTHER 

GEORGE.” 

I  would  like  to  pay  a  fitting  tribute  to  the  men 
who  have  been  engaged  in  this  work.  I  have  no 
need  of  saying  anything  of  these  men  to  you ;  a  eu¬ 
logy  is  not  called  for ;  but  I  want  to  say  that  these 
two  plain  men  you  see  on  this  platform — Brother 
David  and  Brother  George — in  the  city  of  Pittsburg, 
when  they  came  to  sign  the  pledge,  astonished  the 
natives,  to  use  a  homely  expression;  and  if  thig- 
movement  has  been  a  success  in  the  city  of  Pittsburg, 

I  wish  to  say  to  you  that  these  men  have  contributed 
as  much  to  that  success  as  Frank  Murphy.  [Ap¬ 
plause.]  I  have  done  very  little  for  this  movement 
in  comparison  with  what  other  men  have. 

THE  GOOD  WORK  OF  THE  PRESS — THANKS  TO 
CITIZENS  OF  COLUMBUS. 

“  The  press  of  this  country  has  done  a  great  work 
for  this  movement,  and  I  wish  now  to  express  my 
heartfelt  thanks  for  the  kind  consideration  I  have 
received  in  your  city,  knowing  well  that  I  come  to 


192 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


you  making  no  profession  of  scholarship  or  oratory, 
for  I  was  starved  in  the  morning  of  my  life;  school- 
houses  were  scarce  where  I  was  born,  and  it  was  con¬ 
sidered  best  not  to  allow  the  boys  to  go  over  there 
beyond  where  he  might  receive  a  religious  education, 
for  fear  his  religious  ideas  might  be  proselyted  to 
some  extent,  and  hence  I  had  to  be  caged  up. 


A  PLEA  FOR  EDUCATION. 


“And  let  me  say  to  you  I  would  not  advise  you  not 
to  go  to  school,  no  matter  what  the  religious  belief  of 
the  teacher  is,  because  knowledge  is  power  wherever 
you  go,  and  it  is  knowdedge  that  makes  men  strong 
and  noble,  and  enables  them  to  stand  up  so  evenly- 
balanced  with  such  a  magnanimous  spirit  and  heart 
that  all  who  know  them  can  stand  up  and  say, 

‘ There,  that  is  a  man.’  And  it  is  a  pity  for  us  who 
have  been  deprived  of  an  education  and  are  compel¬ 
led  to  stand  before  the  world  feeling  the  necessity  of 
it.  It  is  a  beautiful  thing  for  the  American  people 
that  when  an  American  comes  up  to  sign  the  pledge, 
but  very  few  of  them  will  stand  up  and  just  make  an 
excuse,  with  their  finger  on  their  forehead  and  say, 
‘Will  you  please  sign  my  name?’  You  will  see 
very  few  of  them  make  their  scratch.  It  is  some¬ 
thing  you  have  reason  to  be  proud  of.  The  founda¬ 
tions  of  truth  and  justice  are  laid  in  intelligence  in 
this  country.  I  believe  that  is  the  power  that  moves 
the  whole  of  this  country. 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


193 


MAN  IMMORTAL. 

“  It  is  the  grandest  thought  that  can  come  to  me  to 
night,  that  I  am  a  man  with  a  living,  breathing  soul 
within  me,  and  that  the  world,  grand  and  glorious  as 
it  is  to-night,  with  its  sloping  hillsides  decorated  with 
God’s  precious  flowers — lilies  of  the  valley,  attired  in 
their  wonderful  splendor — as  God  has  woven  them 
into  His  carpet;  they,  too,  speak  to  us;  yes,  and 
from  babbling  springs,  and  from  flowing  brooks,  and 
from  great  streams  that  leap  to  the  ocean,  and  from 
the  grand  mountains  that  break  forth  before  you  into 
singing,  and  the  golden  harvest-fields  that  wave  be¬ 
fore  you,  bringing  God  so  near  to  you  that,  reverently, 
man  should  take  off  his  hat  while  He  speaks  to  us  in 
everything;  standing  before  you  in  the  limitless 
prairie,  and  heaven,  with  its  bright  constellations 
looking  down  upon  us  with  so  sweet,  so  pure,  so1 
holy  a  light,  oh,  how  they  touch  the  divinity  that  is; 
within!  how  the  longing  soul  seeks  for  that  trans¬ 
parent  beauty  that  speaks  to  us  in  these  bright  gems 
that  are  put  there  by  the  sacred  power  of  God  Him¬ 
self,  beyond  the  reach  of  man,  beyond  the  reach  of 
sin,  beyond  the  reach  of  wrong,  the  living,  perpetual 
and  eternal  testimony  of  His  own  power;  omnipotent 
in  Himself,  speaking  to  us  to-night  with  a  language 
too  holy  for  utterance ;  and  from  the  sea  that  He 
holds  in  the  palm  of  His  hand,  and  from  the  moun¬ 
tains  that  have  been  weighed  in  the  balance ;  the 

seasons  that  come  and  go,  touching  everything  about 

13 


194 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


us,  telling  of  their  approach  and  their  departure. 
When  these  things  shall  have  passed  away,  the  im¬ 
mortal  soul,  the  divine  power  that  is  within  us,  by  a 
power  known  only  to  itself,  on  the  invisible  wings  of 
its  own  faith  and  own  might,  can  soar  beyond  all  this 
and  pass  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye  to  the  very  con¬ 
stellations,  and  stand  and  gaze  upon  their  beauty; 
sweep  beyond  them  through  the  milky  way  and 
stand  at  the  pearly  gates  of  God’s  eternal  city  and 
into  the  golden  streets,  and  can  stand  on  the  banks 
of  the  river  of  life  and  can  behold  the  water  of  life  as 
it  courses  from  the  throne  of  God,  can  stand  under 
the  shadow  of  the  tree  of  life,  and  by  a  faith  beyond 
the  power  of  darkness  or  distance  to  dim,  can  see  the 
golden  streets  and  purple  fruit  that  is  made  for  the 
healing  of  the  nations.  Oh,  to  be  a  sober  man! 
What  a  grand  thought!  To  be  a  sober  man,  re¬ 
deemed,  saved,  and  every  chain  broken ;  a  man 
restored  to  his  sober,  virtuous,  Christian  manhood. 
I  thank  God  that  I  am  a  man;  I  thank  God  that  he 
made  me  so;  I  am  no  material  thing,  but  a  living, 
breathing  soul ;  and  the  world,  to-night,  with  all  its 
beauty  and  grandeur,  when  it  is  swept  out  of  exist¬ 
ence,  this  soul  shall  live  on  forever,  during  the  cease¬ 
less  ages  of  eternity  ;  blessed  be  God  for  this  thought. 
Jjrreat  applause.] 

IT  PAYS  TO  BE  SOBER. — STRENGTH  OF  APPETITE. 

“  Yes,  it  pays  to  be  sober — it  pays  to  be  sober. 
This  new  life  that  comes  to  me  to-night,  I  have  no 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


195 


language  to  describe  it  to  you.  It  is  universally 
admitted  among  sensible  and  candid  people,  every¬ 
where  that  drunkenness  is  the  great  curse  of  our  so¬ 
cial  national  life.  It  is  not  characteristic  of  Ameri¬ 
cans,  for  the  same  may  be  said  with  greater  emphasis 
of  the  social  life  of  Great  Britain;  but  it  is  one  of 
the  things  about  which  there  can  be  no  doubt,  that 
cholera  and  typhoid  fever,  and  all  the  rest  of  dis¬ 
eases  that  come  to  us,  bring  less  of  fatality  and  in¬ 
finitely  less  of  sorrow.  There  are  wives,  mothers 
and  children  to-night,  within  every  circle  that  em¬ 
braces  the  young  lives,  who  are  weeping  over  some 
victim  of  the  seductive  destroyer.  East,  West,  North 
and  South  there  are  men  and  women  who  can  not  be 
trusted  with  liquor  in  their  hands;  men  and  women 
who  have  ceased  to  fight  the  appetite  that  has  power 
within  itself  to  destroy  everything  that  makes  life 
desirable;  men  and  women  who,  when  they  see  the 
labels  of  intoxication  painted  on  the  windows,  as 
they  pass  by,  feel  the  blood  coursing  faster  in  their 
veins;  so  to  speak,  they  can  almost  taste  it  in  their 
mouths,  because  of  this  terrible  appetite  that  they 
have  cultivated  and  brought  to  such  wonderful  per¬ 
fection.  In  passing  along  the  street  where  liquor  is 
they  will  inhale  the  fragrance,  and  are  almost  com¬ 
pelled  to  stop  and  wait  around.  There  is  a  fascination 
about  it ;  they  feel  the  want  and  necessity  of  it ;  want 
of  just  this  stimulant  to  lift  them  up  ;  they  are  dreary 
and  weary  and  disconsolate,  and  just  a  little  sick. 
Oh,  how  precious  it  would  be  to  the  longing  appe¬ 
tite.  And,  I  think,  to-night,  in  this  great  work  of 


196 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


reform  how  much  we  need  Christian  charity  and  Chris¬ 
tian  sympathy  to  be  able  to  measure  the  strength  of 
appetite.  Men  are  not  brought  there  immediately, 
but  after  years  of  respectability  and  years  of  pleasant 
life,  and  of  passing  back  and  forth  through  respect¬ 
able  society,  and  being  toasted  as  the  acknowledged 
guests  and  brightest  stars  in  your  city,  have  culti¬ 
vated  this  appetite  until  it  became  a  mad  passion, 
and  they  lose  control  of  themselves,  and  then  are,  so 
to  speak,  kicked  out  on  the  street,  and  it  is  said, 
4  You  are  a  miserable  drunkard,  and  good  for  noth¬ 
ing.’  And  the  case  of  these  men  has  been  looked 
upon  as  entirely  hopeless,  and  no  person  cares  for 
them.  I  think  that  this  movement  is  a  special  dispen¬ 
sation  from  God  Himself,  to  redeem  the  poor  unfor¬ 
tunate  drunkard  ;  and  while  the  great  temperance 
movements  heretofore  sought  to  keep  men  from  be¬ 
coming  drunkards,  while  the  poor  men  who  have 
been  wounded  in  the  battle,  whose  arms  have  been 
broken  and  their  reason  dethroned,  and  they  become 
maniacs  on  the  street,  are  left  with  no  person  to  take 
them  to  an  inn  and  pay  their  bills,  this  movement 
seems  to  be  a  necessity  of  the  present  state  of  tem¬ 
perance,  and  must,  and  by  the  grace  of  God  it  will, 
quicken  the  Church  and  the  hearts  of  humanity.  I 
believe  it  will  compel  us  to  go  out  into  the  world  and 
save  these  poor  wanderers. 

WINE  AT  SOCIAL  PARTIES. 

£t  In  spite  of  what  we  see  of  men,  socially,  and  the 
terrible  appetite,  the  terrible  temptation,  and  the 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


197 


power  it  has  over  some  men,  notwithstanding  the 
fact  that  all  this  is  known,  jet  there  are  gentlemen 
in  society  who  give  parties,  and  ladies  who  issue 
their  cards,  and  send  them  out  to  William  and  James 
and  John,  saying  that  ;  Susan  desires  the  pleasure  of 
their  company  at  her  house  on  a  certain  evening.’ 
All  this  is  very  nice,  and  Susan  is  a  splendid  girl, 
and  James  and  William  don  their  best  suits  and  get 
their  girls,  and  how  they  will  go  down  there.  Yes, 
sir,  the  arrangements  have  all  been  made.  It  is 
among  the  bon  ton,  the  best  people  of  the  place.  It  is 
just  the  place  for  a  fine  time,  and  William  is  just 
the  man  to  give  it.  His  heart  is  as  great  as  he  is 
wealthy  ;  what  a  queenly  wife  he  has  too,  and  how 
she  adorns  things  about  the  place.  Yes,  indeed. 

“  The  young  men  look  forward  with  anticipation, 
and  the  ladies  have  their  suits  made;  the  young  men 
have  theirs  prepared  for  the  occasion  ;  the  coachmen 
are  dressed  in  their  livery,  don  their  high  collars  and 
silk  hats  and  the  horses  are  all  aglow,  if  you  please, 
for  the  occasion ;  they  seem  to  catch  the  spirit  of  it. 
The  drivers  are  more  erect  and  graceful,  and  their 
whips  have  a  silvery  tongue  to  them  that  the  horses 
seem  to  understand.  Why,  the  whole  air  is  pregnant 
with  the  spirit  of  the  occasion;  the  carriages  start 
off,  and  soon  the  house  can  be  seen  on  the  hillside. 
You  can  see  the  beautiful  pine  trees  and  the  beau¬ 
tiful  blossoming  trees  and  the  weeping  willow  grace¬ 
fully  bending  almost  to  the  earth  to  kiss  it.  Through 
the  trees  can  be  seen  the  strange  intoxicating  light 
of  the  Chinese  lanterns,  that  tell  you  the  whole 


198 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


palace  is  alive  with  joy.  Soon  the  carriages  roll  up, 
one  after  another.  The  bell  rings  and  there  is  a  com¬ 
mittee  of  gentlemen  and  ladies  in  waiting  to  receive 
you,  with  a  ‘How  are  you?  Welcome,  welcome; 
here,  in  this  way  ;  this  way,  if  you  please  and  their 
hats  and  coats  are  taken,  and  everything  is  arranged 
in  the  most  classical  style.  Why,  we  become  as 
young  as  we  used  to  be  as  we  step  into  the  spacious 
reception  rooms  filled  with  the  fragrance  and  beauti¬ 
ful  bouquets,  and  see  the  young  and  beautiful  guests. 
It  seems  to  be  a  new  paradise  that  has  opened  up  be¬ 
fore  Charles,  and  William  and  James.  There  are 
folding  doors  that  extend  across,  between  the  rooms, 
and  Susan  has  opened  them.  By  and  by  the  most 
exquisite  lady  in  the  room  has  been  called  to  touch 
the  musical  box  ;  as  she  takes  her  seat  she  nicely  ad¬ 
justs  the  stool  to  its  proper  height,  and,  being  seated, 
she  manipulates  the  keys,  pouring  forth  the  sweetest 
strains  of  music,  the  boys  step  out  and  get  their  part¬ 
ners  and  walk  around  a  little,  at  first  very  gracefully, 
you  know,  as  they  hear  the  music.  By  and  by  they 
get  a  little  intoxicated  with  the  music  and  the  boys 
get  to  waltzing  around  a  little.  It  is  a  splendid  en¬ 
tertainment,  yes,  indeed.  Soon  beautiful  ladies  come 

V 

with  silver  trays  and  cut  glass  filled  with  sparkling 
wine,  with  grace  and  glory,  and  with  hands  so  plump 
and  beautiful  that  they  outrival  the  gems  that  flash 
upon  them,  and  almost  dazzle  your  eyes.  I  tell  you 
it  is  no  inferior  class  of  society,  but  the  queenly 
women  who  have  been  cultured  to  perfection  and 
understand  what  the  etiquette  is  that  goes  to  make 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


199 


up  a  place  of  this  kind.  These  ladies  approach  and 
say,  1  Please  take  a  glass  of  wine,  if  you  please, 
James,  with  me.’  James  says,  ‘  Well,  I  don’t  wish 
to.’  ‘Why,  James,  take  a  glass  with  me,  if  you 
please;  take  a  glass  now  with  Susan;  just  take  a 
glass  to-night.’  It  requires  a  great  deal  of  courage 
for  a  young  man  to  straighten  back  in  his  chair  and 
say:  ‘Yo,  miss,  I  don’t  indulge  in  the  use  of  wine 
on  any  occasion.’  It  requires  a  great  deal  of  cour¬ 
age  to  say  that,  although  it  may  seem  a  small  thing 
to  do.  But  a  man  who  can  do  that,  and  do  it  nobly, 
has  won  a  greater  victory  than  Grant  ever  won,  even 
when  he  received  the  sword  of  Lee  on  the  battle¬ 
ground  of  Appomattox.  You  say  it  is  a  small  thing. 
It  may  seem  a  small  thing  to  many  of  you,  but  there 
is,  so  to  speak,  a  dignity  of  manhood  and  a  courtesy 
that  belongs  to  the  young  lady,  and  the  courtesies 
that  are  to  be  extended  to  her  from  a  young  gentle¬ 
man  who  claims  to  be  gallant,  and  who  holds  his  head 
erect,  and  who  is  expected  to  be  looked  upon  with 
some  degree  of  inferiority  if  he  does  not  accept  a 
little  wine  on  such  an  occasion  as  this.  They  will 
say  to  him:  ‘  Why,  I  am  perfectly  astonished  at 
you.’  Oh,  yes  ;  but  let  me  say  to  you,  young  man, 
be  true  to  yourself;  yield  obedience  to  the  dictates 
of  an  honest  heart.  Remember  the  baptism  of  your 
mother;  remember  the  counsels  of  vour  father;  re- 
member  the  sacred  duties  that  are  devolving  upon 
you  ;  remember  the  sacred  trusts  that  rest  upon  you. 
You  are,  perhaps,  placed  in  some  position,  perhaps 
the  most  honorable  in  the  city  ;  perhaps  you  are  at 


200 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


the  counting  room  of  a  banker,  or  counter  of  some 
merchant  prince,  and  have  control  of  his  business 
and  the  direction  of  it;  and  it  will  be  one  of  the 
grandest  events  in  your  life  to  have  the  fact  come  to 
that  man  that  William  refused  to  take  wine  at  that 
party.  [Great  applause.]  It  will  increase  his  confi¬ 
dence  in  you  a  hundred  per  cent.,  and  though  he  may 
never  mention  it  to  you,  you  will  see  a  change  in  the 
conduct  of  that  man  towards  you,  and  at  no  distant 
day  will  he  reward  you  in  a  way  that  will  do  you 
good  and  give  you  a  stimulus  that  will  aid  you  all 
your  life, 

“I  am  one  of  those  that  believe  that  if  the  wine  cel¬ 
lars  were  cleared  out  we  wouldn’t  have  much  trouble 
with  saloons.  I  believe  that  wine  cellars  have  a 
great  deal  to  do  in  making  saloon  drinking.  I 
believe  if  the  wealthy  men  and  women  in  tbis  coun¬ 
try  would  come  down  to  assist  those  whom  they 
consider  the  worthless  and  unfortunate,  who  are  the 
victims  of  intemperance,  the  work  would  be  done  in 
less  than  three  months.  There  are  women  in  tbis 
city  who  have  not  yet  signed  the  pledge,  and  there 
are  men  in  this  city  who  have  not  signed  the  pledge 
who  should  have  done  so;  and  if  they  would  do  so, 
I  tell  you  it  would  shake  this  city  to  its  very  founda¬ 
tions,  and  a  greater  and  grander  victory  would  come 
to  you  than  we  have  ever  had  yet,  if  we  would  only 
do  what  we  might  in  this  blessed  work. 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


2*01 


THE  MODERATE  DRINKER. — ATTACHMENT  AMONG 

DRINKERS. 

There  are  some  men  who  will  say  they  can  drink 
or  let  it  alone  when  they  have  a  mind  to.  I  grant 
yon  that  some  men  can  do  so,  but  we  know  that 
liquor  has  a  wonderful  fascination  for  some  men  ;  we 
know  that  it  has  a  wonderful  power  over  them; 
young  men  occasionally  drinking  together  become 
married  to  each  other,  and  there  is  a  friendship  exist¬ 
ing  among  them  that  does  not  exist  among  other 
persons.  If  Tom  had  been  in  the  habit  of  getting  off 
a  little,  here  is  Bill  that  will  step  around  and  hunt 
him  up,  and  when  he  finds  him — ten  chances  to  one 
if  he  finds  him — he  will  prevail  on  his  taking  some¬ 
thing.  He  will  say,  4  Come,  Tom,  let  us  take  some¬ 
thing.5  Tom  says,  4  I  ain’t  a  going  to  do  it/ 
‘Don’t  bother;  come  along,  Tom;  come  up  and  take 
something;  just  take  one  drink/  and  thus  would 
their  kind  persuasion  overcome  their  comrades.  I 
think  if  Christian  men  were  just  as  much  in  earnest 
as  drinking  men  are  we  would  have  a  wonderful  re¬ 
vival.  [Applause.]  But,  for  instance,  if  you  go  into 
a  church,  and  no  person  speaks  to  you,  you  will  not 
attend  much  ;  when  you  go  in,  there  is  a  man  dressed 
in  black  who  points  you  to  a  seat,  but  never  says  ‘I 
am  glad  to  see  you/  or  makes  any  inquiry  where 
you  are  from.  When  you  go  out  the  people  crowd 
the  aisles  and  do  not  speak  to  you  ;  do  you  suppose 
that  drinking  men  are  going  back  to  hear  you 


202 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


preach  ?  Not  much  ;  they  don’t  want  any  such 
entertainment.  It  would  be  better  for  you  to  pass 
by  the  men  you  are  in  the  habit  of  speaking  to  every 
day,  and  speak  to  the  strangers.  If  you  meet  a 
young  man,  ask  him  where  he  boards,  and  what  his 
circumstances  are;  if  he  has  come  to  your  city,  who 
his  employer  is,  and  where  he  is  boarding;  perhaps 
you  will  find  he  is  in  an  attic  chamber,  and  in  needy 
circumstances;  he  is  some  mother’s  son;  invite  him 
down  to  take  dinner  with  you;  be  a  father  to  him; 
perhaps  some  one  may  be  a  father  to  your  boy. 
Don’t  be  so  self-righteous  that  you  will  allow  people 
to  go  out  of  the  church  without  making  their  aquaint- 
ance.  Be  sociable  and  friendly,  and  they  will  come 
back  to  you,  but  not  till  then.  Think  of  these  men 
that  chase  each  other  around  the  street,  trying  to  find 
each  other.  I  remember  the  time  when  I  was  in  the 
habit  of  taking  a  little  something  for  my  stomach’s 
sake ;  I  was  one  of  the  boys  who  stuck  at  it ;  when  I 
got  hold  of  a  customer  I  didn’t  let  him  go  away  with¬ 
out  taking  something  to  drink,  and  having  some  fun. 
‘Just  take  one  drink,’  and  that  one  drink,  in  all 
probability,  leads  to  a  spree.” 

Mr.  Murphy  here  illustrated  the  strong  attachment 
shown  by  companions  in  drink  for  one  another  by 
relating  the  story  that  is  told  of  two  Irishmen,  upon 
their  recent  arrival  here  from  their  mother  country, 
describing  the  tenacity  with  which  the  musquitoes 
hung  to  them  in  a  swamp.  The  speaker  rendered 
the  story  with  great  effect  by  telling  it  in  the  genuine 
brogue  of  his  countrymen,  and  as  he  concluded  his 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


203 


picture  of  the  scene,  with  the  remark  of  one  of  those 
travelling  companions,  who,  upon  peeping  from  under 
his  blanket,  beheld  a  fire-fly,  thinking  it  one  of  their 
tormentors  still  in  search  of  them,  ‘  Fergus  we  might 
as  well  be  afther  getting  out  now,  for  here  is  one  of 
the  crathurs,  with  his  lantern,  looking  for  us/  The 
laughter  and  applause  were  tremendous. 

u  So,”  continued  the  speaker,  u  I  have  been  in 
about  the  same  position  of  my  countrymen  ;  I  have 
had  to  run  away  from  my  friends  with  whom  I  have 
been  associated  ;  I  have  had  to  run  away  to  escape 
intoxication;  there  is  no  getting  away  from  them; 
they  will  hold  on  to  you  asking  you  to  take  some¬ 
thing,  ‘just  one  drink/  but  that  ‘just  one  drink7  would 
perhaps  end  in  a  spree  of  three  days,  and  the  wind-up 
be  a  sorrowful  one,  I  assure  you.” 

A  mother’s  love. 

“  I  believe  to-night  that  it  is  kindness  we  are  to  use 
in  this  blessed  work  to  save  men — the  kindness  of 
Christian  charity  and  mercy.  ‘  Though  I  speak  with 
the  tongues  of  men  and  of  angels,  and  have  not  char¬ 
ity,  I  am  become  as  sounding  brass  or  tinkling  cym¬ 
bal.’  6  And  though  I  have  the  gift  of  prophecy,  and 
understand  all  mysteries,  and  all  knowledge;  and 
though  I  have  all  faith,  so  that  I  could  remove  moun¬ 
tains,  and  have  not  charity,  I  am  nothing.’  It  is 
charity  that  tells;  it  is  the  love  of  a  man’s  heart  that 
will  win.  Why  is  it  that  the  unfortunate  boy  turns 
to  his  mother  ?  Never  in  the  world,  so  long  as  he 


204 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


lives  and  walks  God’s  green  earth,  can  he  forget  his 
mother.  The  very  mention  of  her  name  awakens 
every  tender  emotion  in  him,  as  he  hears  her  kindly 
saying,  ‘  Stand  up,  Tommy,  come  home.’  There  is 
one  that  loves  him  and  cares  for  him,  and  though 
God  may  have  taken  her  to  Himself,  you  will  often 
find  the  poor  inebriate  standing  at  the  little  green 
mound,  weeping  at  his  own  misfortune,  and  saying 
that  ‘in  there  lies  the  remains  of  a  mother  that  al¬ 
ways  loved  me,  that  always  had  a  tender  spot  in  her 
heart  for  me  ;  who,  when  father  turned  me  away,  took 
me  in  the  back  door,  up  into  the  garret,  and  clothed 
and  fed  me,  and  helped  me.’  That  is  what  tells,  and 
that  is  what  is  to  be  the  passport  for  that  boy  into 
the  gates  of  heaven  ;  it  is  that  which  will  break  the 
power  of  sin  in  his  soul,  and  bring  him  home  to  that 
God  who  gave  him  and  made  him  for  Himself. 

MARSHAL  SWARTZ  WALHER. 

“Allow  me  to  use  an  illustration  that  I  may  enforce 
this  truth,  and  may  God  help  me.  I  will  speak  of  a 
man  you  have  had  in  your  midst, speaking  for  you — 
Marshal  Swartzwalder.  He  was  a  victim  of  this  habit 
for  a  number  of  years.  He  was  a  companion  of  my 
dear  brother  here  on  the  platform,  and  who  drank 
with  my  Brother  Hall  from  week  to  week,  and  month 
to  month,  and  year  to  year.  He  was  a  perfect  gen¬ 
tleman  when  he  was  sober  ;  a  kingly  man,  and  has 
justly  been  called  the  patriarch  of  the  Pittsburg  Bar, 
and  the  Demosthenes  of  the  profession.  Perhaps  no 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


.  205 


man  who  has  been  upon  the  platform,  in  the  cause 
of  human  reform,  has  been  equal  to  him.  When  I 
first  came  to  the  city  of  Pittsburg,  I  was  told  about 
Marshal  Swartz walder,  that  he  had  been  a  drunkard 
a  great  many  years — for  thirty  years  at  least — and 
they  said  there  was  no  hope  for  him.  I  said  I  would 
like  to  see  him.  ‘Well/  said  they,  4  you  can  see 
him/  but  said  he  had  been  on  a  tremendous  spree. 
I  took  particular  pains  to  find  out  how  I  might  be 
received  ;  they  said  I  would  be  received  kindly.  I 
got  the  number  of  his  office — for  at  this  time  he  stayed 
in  his  office,  and  ate  his  meals  there,  and  had  a  nice 
back  room  handsomely  furnished  where  he  slept — I 
came  to  his  office  and  rapped  at  his  door ;  there  was 
a  young  boy,  a  son  of  his,  a  beardless  boy,  about  six¬ 
teen  years  of  age,  I  should  judge,  that  always  stayed 
with  his  father,  and  never  left  him  ;  he  called  him 
Dick.  Dick  came  to  the  door — I  wish  you  could 
have  seen  the  poor  boy;  he  looked  so  depressed  and 
sad.  Said  I,  ‘Is  Mr.  Swartzvvalder  in?’  He  re¬ 
plied,  ‘Yes;  do  you  wish  to  see  him?5  I  told  him 
‘Yes,  sir/  and  sent  in  my  card.  He  had  asked  what 
my  name  was,  and  I  told  him,  and  he  stepped  in  and 
told  him  that  Mr.  Murphy  was  in  the  office  and  would 
like  to  see  him.  Said  he,  ‘Send  him  in;  I  would 
like  to  see  him.’  So  I  went  into  his  room,  and  he 
arose  from  his  large  chair  which  he  had  for  his  own 
comfort.  He  was  partially  stripped,  having  his  pan¬ 
taloons  tied  around  him  with  his  suspenders.  Being 
a  chunky  and  quite  heavy  man,  as  he  came  towards 
me  I  was  a  little  scared  at  the  man,  to  tell  the  truth. 


206 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


as  he  walked  up  to  me,  looking  so  earnest,  with  a 
keen  expression  that  seemed  to  look  me  through  and 
through.  As  he  approached  he  extended  his  hand  and 
said,  ‘  You  are  the  man  that  has  been  talking  temper¬ 
ance  here?’  ‘Yes,’  said  I.  ‘Well,’  said  he,  ‘we 

v 

never  had  much  good  from  you  temperance  people; 
you  come  here  and  sing  your  songs,  and  present 
your  bills  and  go  away.  That  is  the  way  they  do, 
and  I  suppose  you  are  like  all  the  rest  of  them.’ 
I  said,  ‘  I  don’t  know  how  that  is.’  He  said, 
‘Mr.  Murphy,  I  want  to  talk  to  you.’  ‘I  have 
been  a  victim  of  intemperance  for  more  than  thirty 
years,’  said  he.  ‘  I  have  no  power  to  control  my¬ 
self.’  He  asked  me  to  be  seated  in  a  chair,  and  I 
sat  down  by  his  side.  Said  he,  looking  strangely  in 
my  face,  ‘Is  there  any  hope  for  me?’  Said  I, 
‘There  is  hope  for  you.’  ‘There  is,’  he  exclaimed. 
‘Yes.’  He  asked,  ‘How  so?’  Said  I,  ‘with 
God’s  help  you  can  be  saved.’  With  a  shake  of  his 
head  he  said,  ‘Why,  for  more  than  twenty  years  I 
have  been  seeking  for  the  truth,  and  have  read  the 
Bible  through  and  through.’  And  he  told  me  about 
the  writings  of  several  men  he  had  read,  seeking  for 
the  truth.  ‘And,’  said  he,  ‘Mr.  Murphy,  there  is 
no  help  for  me.’  I  commenced  talking  to  him  in 
my  humble  way,  the  best  I  could.  He  turned  around 
to  Colonel  Hetherington,  and  said :  ‘  Go  and  tell 
Dick  to  come  in.’  The  dear  boy,  when  he  came  in, 
stepped  up  to  his  father’s  left  side,  and  the  father  put 
his  arms  around  the  boy.  The  poor  boy  was  so 
much  overcome  that  he  sat  down  and  put  his  arms 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


207 


around  his  father’s  neck.  The  child  could  not  control 
his  feelings,  and  commenced  to  weep.  The  father 
said,  ‘Dear  Dick,  you  never  left  me.’  Turning  to 
me,  he  said  :  4  Mr.  Murphy,  here  is  a  boy  that  stays 
with  his  father;-  here  is  a  boy  that  has  walked  the 
streets  night  after  night  for  his  father,  and  stays  with 
him  ;  I  wish  I  could  tell  you  how  good  he  has  been, 
how  much  I  love  him.'  Before  we  got  through 
talking  to  each  other,  and  reasoning  with  each  other, 
Mr.  Swartzwalder  said:  £  Mr.  Murphy,  I  feel  a  very 
strange  impression  on  my  heart;  I  feel  as  though 
God  had  touched  me,  so  to  speak.’  I  said  to  him, 
with  all  the  power  of  encouragement  that  God  had 
possessed  me  with,  ‘Mr.  Swartzwalder,  by  the  grace 
of  God  you  shall  conquer  this  evil ;  I  know  it  in  my 
heart.’  I  left  him;  I  knew  the  work  was  done; 
I  knew  it  was  a  question  of  time  when  that  man 
should  come  out  redeemed.  Brother  David  Hall, 
who  is  on  the  platform,  carried  him  provision  and 
nursed  him,  and  there  is  not  a  better  hearted  man 
walks  on  this  green  earth  of  God’s  than  this  same 
Brother  Hall.  [Applause.]  He  stayed  with  him 
and  helped  him  for  several  days  ;  after  six  days  the 
Christian  people  began  to  pray  for  him ;  the  people 
would  come  to  me  and  ask,  4  Mr.  Murphy,  do  you 
believe  Swartzwalder  will  be  saved?’  4  Do  I  believe 
it?  Why,’  said  I,  ‘God  saves  to  the  uttermost,  and 
he  knows  no  hard  cases.’  I  gave  them  all  the  en¬ 
couragement  I  could.  The  Christian  men  and  women 
prayed  for  that  man,  for  the  people  of  Pittsburg 
loved  him ;  they  are  proud  of  him  as  a  grand  pleader 


208 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


of  the  bar ;  the  Grand  Counsellor  of  the  State,  with 
whom  the  Judges  of  the  Supreme  Bench  consult. 
In  about  six  days — we  had  heard  from  him  from  day 
today — and  after  some  six  days  this  man,  majestic 
in  his  appearance,  with  his  white  flowing  locks,  well 
dressed,  and  with  a  nice  silk  hat  shining  like  a 
piece  of  polished  gold,  and  his  cane  in  his  hand, 
came  to  the  meeting ;  there  was  a  grandeur  and 
majesty  about  the  man ;  he  seemed  to  have  come  to 

A 

himself  again,  with  all  the  grandeur  and  kingly  no¬ 
bility  he  formerly  possessed.  As  he  came  in  he 
stood  and  looked  over  the  multitude  of  people  in  the 
room.  When  the  man  came  in  and  stood  there,  a 
whisper  passed  throughout  the  congregation,  and  I 
noticed  that  men  that  hadn’t  been  seen  to  drop  tears 
since  the  meeting  commenced  were  now  moved.  I 
could  see  their  lips  begin  to  tremble,  and  after  a 
while  I  could  see  them  get  out  their  handkerchiefs. 
I  wondered  what  was  the  cause  of  all  this,  but  it 
was  the  hold  the  man  had  upon  the  people.  By-and- 
bye  he  walked  up  the  aisle,  pressing  his  way  among 
the  multitude  of  people,  and  as  they  parted  to  let 
him  in,  and  he  passed  along,  you  could  hear  the  peo¬ 
ple  say,  1  God  bless  the  man.’  And  when  he  came 
toward  the  table  where  the  pledges  were,  the  interest 
was  intense.  In  the  back  part  of  the  room  they 
commenced  standing  up,  to  see  if  he  would  sign  the 
pledge,  and  in  a  little  while,  as  he  stood  there  silently 
meditating,  he  turned,  and  seizing  a  pen,  wrote  his 
name  upon  the  pledge  of  total  abstinence.  Then, 
turning  to  the  congregation  again,  he  said — what  he 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


209 


had  never  before  said  in  all  his  life — ‘  I  want  you  to 
pray  for  me.  This  is  for  my  life;  this  is  the  last 
effort ;  if  I  fail  now  I  shall  never  try  it  again.’  That 
man  went  to  his  office,  and  asked  God  to  help  him. 

“  I  met  him  when  I  came  to  Pittsburg,  and  had  the 
pleasure  of  putting  my  arms  around  him.  Said  I, 
‘flow  are  you  getting  along,  Brother  Swartz- 
walder?’  and  he  said,  4  Brother  Murphy,  every 
morning  I  pray ;  every  day  at  noon  I  pray  ;  and 
every  night  I  pray  ;  and  every  day  when  I  go  past  a 
saloon  I  begin  to  pray  for  God’s  power  to  keep  me 
and  sustain  me.’ 

“  This  man  has  been  kept  by  the  grace  of  God,  and 
has  been  the  means  in  the  hands  of  God  of  securing 
— I  don’t  know  but  twenty  thousand  signers  to  the 
pledge  of  total  abstinence,  and  is  standing  up  to-day 
in  all  the  dignity  and  freedom  of  this  new-born  life,, 
saved  from  the  power  and  dominion  of  rum.  It 
pays  to  be  kind,  it  pays  to  be  merciful  and  to* 
work  in  this  blessed  cause.  [Great  applause.] 

REFORMATION  OF  A  SALOONIST. — DAVID  HALL. 

“  How,  my  dear  friends,  I  see  that  the  time  is  ad¬ 
vancing  when  I  must  close  my  discourse.  If  I  had 
time  I  would  like  to  bring  before  you  another  illus¬ 
tration  of  this  truth.  Just  a  word  about  my  brothers 
David  Hall  and  George,  and  while  they  are  on  the 
platform  they  will  excuse  me  for  speaking  about 
them.  When  I  first  came  to  Pittsburg  and  spoke  in 

the  Opera  House,  brother  David  was  there,  George 

14 


210 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


was  not  present.  The  next  day,  passing  down  the 
street,  I  met  brother  David  near  the  Seventh  Avenue 
Hotel,  on  the  sidewalk.  He  stepped  up,  and  taking 
me  by  the  hand  said:  4  How  are  you?’  And  I 
said:  ‘Very  well;  how  are  you?’  and  he  said: 
‘You  don’t  know  me?’  I  said  ‘Ho.’  Said  he :  ‘  I 
heard  you  talk  last  night ;  1  want  you  to  understand 
.that.’  Said  I,  ‘Did  you?’  and  he  replied,  ‘I  was 
right  there.’  ‘Were  you?’  ‘Yes,’  said  he;  ‘and 
you  told  my  story  exactly.’  W  ell,  I  was  wonder¬ 
fully  pleased  with  the  expression  of  his  face.  ‘And 
now,’  remarked 'he,  ‘  there  was  something  left  out  of 
the  story  ;  you  didn’t  tell  all.’  Said  I  to  David:  ‘I 
want  you  to  tell  me  what  it  is.’  Said  he,  ‘I  want 
you  to  tell  me  whether  your  wife  is  living?’  I  told 
him  she  was  not  living.  Do  you  know  that  this  man 
bowed  his  head  on  the  street  there  and  cried.  ‘  I 
want  to  say  to  you  now,’  said  brother  David,  ‘  I  will 
sign  this  pledge  with  you,  and  if  you  let  me  go  down 
to  the  hotel  with  you  I  will  sign  it  right  there.’ 
And  he  took  another  man  with  him,  John  Irving. 
He  said  he  would  go  along  and  sign  it  too.  We 
went  to  my  room  and  he  said :  ‘  I  have  a  saloon  ;  I 
want  you  to  understand  that.’  Said  I :  ‘  Have  you?’ 
‘Yes,’ replied  he.  I  inquired:  ‘  What  are  you  going 
to  do  with  it?’  ‘I  am  going  to  shut  it  up,’  he  replied. 
‘  Will  you,’  said  I.  6  If  you  will  shut  it  up,  brother 
David,  it  will  be  a  blessed  thing.’  I  asked  him 
where  his  place  was,  and  said  I  would  go  down  and 
see  it.  ‘  You  have  got  to  come  down  quick  if  you 
get  into  it,’  said  he,  4  for  I  am  going  to  close  it  up, 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


211 


and  I  will  never  sell  another  drink  of  liquor.’  When 
we  came  in  the  room  he  asked  for  the  pledge  and  sat 
down  and  signed  it — he  and  his  companion,  John 
Irving — as  noble  a  man  as  ever  God  made,  but  who 
had  fallen  through  the  power  of  this  evil.  When 
they  signed  it  they  stepped  up  to  each  other  and 
took  each  other’s  hand,  but  didn’t  speak  a  word. 
They  turned  their  heads  away  from  each  other  for  a 
little  while,  then  let  go,  and  David  went  to  one  side 
of  the  room  and  John  to  the  other.  I  knew  that 
God  had  touched  their  hearts,  and  I  want  to  say  to 
you  that  it  is  these  men  that  have  made  this  move¬ 
ment  and  not  Frank  Murphy.  These  are  the  men 
who  have  done  the  work,  and  called  it  the  Murphy 
movement.  It  ousrht  to  be  called  the  Hall  move- 

u 

ment.  r  Applause.] 

MR.  murphy’s  HOME. 

“  I  have  been  asked  repeatedly,  ‘  Mr.  Murphy,  where 
is  your  home  ?’  I  wouldn’t  tell  you  about  that,  but  I 
have  been  talking  among  you  and  feel  perfectly  at 
home  with  you,  and  feel  that  I  am  not  a  stranger  in 
your  midst.  Everywhere  I  have  received  the  same 
kindness.  Men  have  taken  me  to  their  homes  and 
given  me  of  their  means.  I  don’t  know  but  what 
you  will  spoil  me.  But  I  will  tell  you,  so  you  will 
understand  just  my  circumstances.  After  my  re¬ 
demption  and  return  home  to  my  family,  my  wife, 
who  had  stood  by  my  side  all  through  the  dark  days 
of  my  life  and  had  never  faltered,  took  sick  with 


212 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


typhoid  fever — the  truth  of  the  matter  was  her  heart 
had  been  almost  broken,  and  she  had  never  fully  re¬ 
covered.  It  was  the  terrible  experience  she  had 
passed  through,  dear  soul ;  the  suffering,  the  intense 
suffering. 

HEART-BROKEN  WIVES. 

“And  I  say  to  you  to-night  that  some  of  the  best 
wives  and  some  of  the  best  mothers  in  this  country 
are  suffering  quietly.  They  won’t  say  a  word  about 
their  husbands,  not  a  word. 

11 1  He  is  my  husband ;  I  will  carry  the  wound  in 
my  heart ;  I  will  carry  it  silently  till  God  shall  say, 
“it  is  enough,”  and  then  I  will  lie  down  and  die.’ 
Oh7  men,  think  to-night  of  such  love  as  this.  May 
God  help  you  to  be  true  and  loyal  to  your  wives. 
[At  this  point  sobs  were  heard  in  different  parts  of 
the  house.] 

“  Mr.  Murphy  related  in  detail  the  circumstances 
attending  the  sickness  and  death  of  his  wife  in  1870, 
and  the  subsequent  history  of  his  family.  He  charac¬ 
terized  his  wife  as  a  true  Christian  woman,  and  re¬ 
ferred  in  a  feeling  manner  to  her  dying  request  not 
to  separate  her  children,  but  stated  that  such  was  his 
extreme  poverty  that  he  was  compelled  for  a  time  to 
allow  their  separation,  but  had  subsequently  been 
blessed  with  means  that  enabled  him  to  reunite  them, 
and  that  he  was  now  educating  them.  Said  he:  ‘I 
am  trying  to  make  Christian  gentlemen  of  my  sons 
and  Christian  women  of  my  daughters,  and  I  have 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


213 


the  pleasure  of  telling  you  that  my  two  older  sons 
are  soundly  converted  to  God,  and  are  Christian 
boys.’  [Applause.] 

“In  closing  this  personal  narrative,  he  referred  to 
his  married  life  in  the  following  language:  We  were 
married  when  we  were  children,  and  started  out  in 
life  together.  She  was  only  seventeen  years  of  age, 
and  I  was  eighteen,  and  from  the  time  we  started  out 
in  life  until  God  separated  us,  an  unkind  word  had 
not  been  used  between  us  in  the  way  of  wrath  or 
malice.  Our  life  has  been  one  of  peace  and  content¬ 
ment,  blessed  be  God. 

DELUSIVE  POWER  OF  STRONG  DRINK. 

u  Let  me  say  to  you  to-night,  young  man,  you  who 
are  free  from  this  terrible  evil ;  let  me  say  to  you, 
husband,  to-night,  if  you  are  expecting  to  drink  or 
let  it  alone  whenever  you  have  a  mind  to,  remember 
there  is  a  wonderful  hidden  power  in  this  dreadful 
habit ;  remember  that  it  is  a  silken  thread  you  can 
hardly  see,  but  that  it  will  wind  itself  around  and 
around  you  until  it  will  have  you  enchained  beneath 
its  power,  and  when  you  undertake  to  break  away, 
will  cost  you  all  the  strength  you  have  got,  and, 
perhaps,  like  many  of  us,  you  will  not  be  able  of 
yourself  to  break  the  chain  that  has  held  you  bound 
down  to  a  habit  that  will  rob  you  of  all  your  property ; 
rob  you  of  your  reason  ;  destroy  your  sense  of  honor, 
and  steal  from  you  your  good  name.  ‘  He  that  steals 
my  purse  steals  trash,  but  he/  sir,  who  steals  from  me 


214 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


my  good  name,  takes  that  which  doth  not  enrich  him, 
but  makes  me  poor  indeed.’ 

“  Thou  friend  of  rum,  0,  thou  invisible  spirit!  if 
we  had  no  name  to  know  thee  by,  why  not  call  thee 
devil ! 

“  From  this  platform,  in  this  hall  of  yours,  where 
the  eloquent  tongues  of  your  statesmen  have  inspired 
you  with  confidence  in  the  right,  with  confidence  in 
justice,  with  confidence  in  truth,  that  our  forefathers 
placed  upon  the  altar  of  our  country,  though  it  was 
dimmed  by  the  infernal  shadow  of  bloody  slavery; 
though,  so  to  speak,  its  like  had  almost  gone  out 
beneath  the  iron  hand  of  oppression,  from  this  plat¬ 
form  have  come  the  voices,  have  come  the  manhood, 
have  come  the  virtues  that  have  touched  your  manly 
hearts,  and  have  made  each  man  and  each  woman 
stand  erect  again — stand  erect  clothed  with  a  power 
beyond  the  reach  of  slavery,  clothed  you  with  a 
strength  equal  to  Hercules,  making  you  almost  omni¬ 
potent,  and  you  have  marched  from  this  capital  with 
a  heart  filled  with  the  love  of  truth,  with  a  patriotism 
that  encompassed  our  beloved  country,  done  your 
duty  and  have  won  a  victory  for  all  time  for  the 
cause  of  justice,  and  for  republicanism.  But  to-night 
there  is  a  grander  cause  pleading  for  you,  and  a 
grander  silence  that  speaks  to  you.  I  hear  to-night 
the  wail  of  the  oppressed  mothers  of  this  country ;  I 
hear  five  hundred  thousand  victims  that  are  chained 
to-night  in  the  living  tombs  of  this  country,  who  have 
been  poisoned  by  the  malaria  of  the  upas  tree  of 
death.  This  upas  tree  has  got  its  roots  in  the  sacred 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE.  215 

soil  of  this  country.  Is  it  possible  that  God’s  sun¬ 
light  has  ever  touched  it?  that  God’s  rain  has  ever 

O 

watered  it?  Never,  never  never.  It  has  been 
I  watered  by  the  blood  of  mothers’  hearts.  Yes,  on  its 
branches  to-night  hang  the  death-warrants  of  more 
than  twenty  millions  of  the  bravest  men  and  the 
queenliest  women  that  God  ever  gave  to  the  world. 
Let  us  cut  it  down,  Jimmy ;  let  us  cut  it  down, 
David;  let  us  c;ut  it  down,  men.  With  pledges  in 
jour  hands,  come  to  the  rescue.  Let  us  strike  a 
blow  into  its  infernal  trunk.  Let  us  hate  it,  men,  let 
us  hate  it.  See  it  stagger.  Clear  the  way,  and  give 
it  a  place  to  fall.  Let  us  trim  its  branches ;  let  us 
log  its  dead,  infernal  trunk  ;  let  us  set  fire  to  it.  Let 
us  have  a  bonfire  in  Columbus,  and  burn  it  to  ashes, 
and  bury  the  ashes  so  deep  down  in  the  bowels  of 
the  earth,  that  by  the  blessing  of  God,  by  the  bles¬ 
sing  of  heaven,  it  shall  never,  never ,  never,  NEVER 
have  a  resurrection.  May  God  bless  you.” 

A  hearty  encore  by  the  audience  brought  to  the 
front  again  the  speaker,  who  had  taken  his  seat, 
when  he  said : 

<CI  sincerely  thank  you.  May  God  bless  you.  Pray 
for  me  that  God  may  keep  me  a  servant;  that  I  may 
remember  the  text  that  the  servant  is  not  greater  than 
his  Lord ;  that  I  may  be  willing  to  go  down  and 
wash  the  feet  of  my  dear  brethren,  and  find  shirts  for 
the  shirtless  ones,  coats  for  the  coatless  ones ;  that  I 
may  love  the  prodigal  son,  and  that  every  mother’s 
son  shall  be  made  a  son  of  the  blessed  benevolence  of 
this  gospel  of  total  abstinence ;  and  may  we  at  last 


216 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


reach  the  golden  shore  of  God’s  eternal  home,  where 
there  is  no  more  night,  where  there  are  no  more 
tears,  where  the  fields  are  always  green  and  where 
the  flowers  never  fade.  Good  night.”  [Applause.] 


CHA'PTBR  XXl‘. 

SELECTIONS  FROM  MR.  MURPHY’S  SPEECHES. 

Closing  sentences  of  Francis  Murphy’s  speech, 
delivered  in  the  Academy  of  Music,  Philadelphia,  at 
the  inauguration  of  his  campaign  in  that  city: 

“  I  call  upon  you  in  the  name  of  everything  holy, 
and  manly,  and  Godlike,  to  remain  true,  cost  what  it 
will.  Let  no  fascination  allure  you  to  sip  a  drop  of 
the  accursed  drink.  There  is  no  joy  to  come  to  you 
from  it.  Don’t  tamper  with  it,  I  beseech  you.  The 
sure  ground  for  you  and  me  to  stand  on  to-night  is 
this  blessed  rock  of  total  abstinence. 

“  In  the  name  of  God  I  beseech  you  to  think  of 
your  real  worth.  Think  of  your  manhood.  Think 
of  your  honor,  and  enter  into  the  world’s  broad  field  of 
battle.  In  the  work  of  life  do  not  be  like  dumb  driven 
cattle.  Let  us  be  up  and  doing,  with  a  heart  full  to 
fight — still  achieving,  still  pursuing,  and  laboring 
and  waiting  in  this  grand  city,  where  the  infant  voice 
of  liberty  was  first  heard,  and  where  its  youth  was 
nurtured  and  sustained. 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


217 


u  Your  fathers  had  the  manly  courage  to  defy  the 
power  of  England  when  the  power  of  that  nation  en¬ 
compassed  the  world.  There  were  men  here  who 
when  they  felt  the  yoke  of  oppression,  were  equal  to 
the  occasion.  To-night  the  same  blood  is  coursing 
in  your  veins.  The  same  spirit  lives  in  this  grand 
city.  Yes,  the  whole  world,  I  might  say,  recently 
came  to  worship  at  its  shrine.  In  this  city  let  me 
call  upon  you  to  join  in  with  us  until  every  jail  shall 
be  emptied  and  every  saloon  closed.  Let  us  work 
and  press  on  until  every  State’s  prison  shall  be  emp¬ 
tied  of  its  inmates,  and  the  sale  of  the  accursed  liquor 
be  stopped  forever. 

“0,  how  I  hate  you  I  you  man-destroying  cowardly 
fiend-incarnate,  I  hate  you  !  I  hate  you !  I  have 
struggled  with  you  !  I  have  fought  with  you !  Yes, 
you  chained  these  hands  and  these  limbs!  I  have 
fallen  again  and  again ;  but  by  the  blessing  of  God 
have  conquered. 

u  In  his  name,  in  whose  service  is  perfect  freedom, 
let  us  press  on,  till  the  last  chain  shall  be  broken; 
till  the  last  captive  shall  be  permitted  to  go  free  ;  and 
all  shall  stand — every  captive  son  and  daughter — free, 
free,  eternally  free.  May  God  bless  you.” 


Short  speech  of  Francis  Murphy,  at  the  Temper¬ 
ance  Tabernacle,  Philadelphia : 

a  I  hope  and  trust  that  each  one  of  us  may  feel  the 
responsibility  that  is  resting  upon  us;  that  each  one 


218 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


of  us  may  feel  like  doing  our  whole  duty,  and  doing 
all  things  to  yield  a  gladsome  obedience  to  that  which 
is  right,  just,  and  manly.  The  prophet  Isaiah  used 
this  beautiful  language  :  4  Is  not  this  the  task  that  I 
have  chosen  ?  to  loose  the  bands  of  wickedness,  to 
undo  the  heavy  burdens,  and  to  let  the  oppressed  go 
free — and  that  ye  break  every  yoke  ?  Is  it  not  to 
deal  thy  bread  to  the  hungry,  and  that  thou  bring  the 
poor  that  are  cast  out  to  thy  house?  When  thou 
seest  the  naked  that  thou  cover  him  ;  and  that  thou 
hide  not  thyself  from  thine  own  flesh?’  This  is 
practical  religion,  and  it  is  for  you,  and  me,  to  night 
in  the  presence  of  this  vast  multitude  of  people  to 
ask  4  What  wilt  thou  have  me  to  do?’  and  may 
God  help  each  one  of  us  to  feel,  to-day,  that  we  have 
a  work  to  do  ;  that  we  have  a  duty  to  perform,  and 
that  we  can  do  something  for  each  other.  We  are 
dependent  upon  each  other  for  the  success  of  all  that 
is  good,  and  noble,  and  true.  Your  coming  to  the 
front  and  speaking  for  this  blessed  cause  of  total  ab¬ 
stinence,  will  stimulate  some  men  by  your  side  to 
come  forward  and  join  with  us.  There  is  no  diffi¬ 
culty  in  having  our  sons  and  our  homes  free  from 
the  evil  of  intoxicating  liquor.  We  must  only  make 
an  honest  effort,  it  cannot  be  done  without  it.  We 
must  do  one  thing — we  must  stop  using  it  ourselves. 
And,  then,  it  is  our  duty  to  4  use  all  honorable 
means,’  as  the  pledge  reads,  to  encourage  others  to 
abstain.  This  is  the  only  temperance  principle  that 
is  really  genuine  and  true.  There  is  not  much  use 
for  a  man  to  talk  temperance  with  an  occasional  glass 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


219' 


of  brandy  in  his  hand.  The  day  has  gone  past  for 
that.  Love  and  example  will  win  a  man,  or,  rather, 
will  lead  him,  from  the  haunts  of  vice  to  the  side  of 
temperance.  They  will  make  him  feel  that  he  can 
keep  his  pledge  and  earn  money  to  support  himself 
to  stand  as  a  man  among  men.  It  is  the  business  of 
every  man  to  take  the  hand  of  duty  and  let  it  lead 
him  through  light  and  darkness.  Duty,  duty,  do 
your  whole  duty,  men  !  Take  the  golden  handle  of 
duty  to-night  and  in  spite  of  every  opposition  ;  in 
spite  of  everything  that  seems  impossible  ;  in  the 
name  of  the  divine  power  that  is  within  you,  triumph 
over  every  difficulty  and  scale  the  mountain  before 
you,  and  though  it  cost  you  your  life,  go  to  the  top. 
By  the  blessing  of  God,  it  will  be  worth  more  than 
all  it  costs  you.  You  can  do  it  if  you  only  will.” 


Important  extracts  from  speeches,  delivered  by 
Francis  Murphy,  at  various  times,  and  different 
places,  during  his  recent  energetic  labors  in  behalf 
of  total-abstinence  : 

“who  must  do  the  work.” 

“  This  work  must  be  done  by  the  meii  who  have 
drank  intoxicating  liquors.  I  come  not  to  the  tem¬ 
perance  men,  but  to  the  drinking  men,  and  I  appeal 
to  your  manhood  and  to  everything  that  is  sacred  to 
break  the  chains  that  bind  you,  and  to  make  one 


220 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


grand  effort  to  break  away  from  evil  companions, 
and  say,  ‘  I  have  drank  my  last  glass,  boys.’  It  is 
by  example  that  this  work  must  be  done.  Drinking 
men  must  do  it — they  and  the  liquor  sellers  ;  and  I 
believe  that  God  will  give  us  the  liquor  sellers.” 


“  GETTING  TO  THE  ROOT.” 

“  My  dear  friends,”  said  Mr.  Murphy,  “  I  think  we 
are  getting  to  the  root  of  this  matter.  I  noticed  to¬ 
day  that  thirty  or  forty  saloons  are  to  be  sold.  This 
is  one  side;  but  there  is  another.  You  must  take 
these  men  who  are  leaving  their  business  by  the 
hand,  encourage  them  and  keep  them  from  dissipa¬ 
tion.  You  must  remember  that  the  work  is  not  done 
until  we  can  do  this.” 


u  MUST  WORK  OUT  OUR  OWN  SALVATION.” 

“  We  are  not  going  to  wait  for  the  Legislature  to 
make  us  sober.  You  have  the  power  yourselves  to 
be  sober  men,  to  render  these  shops  powerless  if  you 
will  enforce  prohibition  as  regards  your  own  mouth. 
If  you  stop  drinking  they  will  stop  selling.  That  is 
the  logical  inference.  Don’t  you  for  a  moment  flatter 
yourselves  that  you  can  have  any  sort  of  a  real, 
honest  total  abstinence  sentiment  till  the  people  be- 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


221 


come  sober.”  Mr.  Murphy  then  went  on  to  explain 
what  benefits  a  man  would  reap  from  leaving  liquor 
alone,  and  continued:  “There  are  many  of  us  who 
can’t  be  honest  till  we  have  an  investigating  commit¬ 
tee  after  us ;  who  won’t  work  till  we  get  to  the  poor- 
house.  Shame  on  you  men  who  will  not  take  the 
hand  of  honest  labor  and  work  out  your  own  salva¬ 
tion.  If  I  can’t  be  a  book-keeper,  I  can  be  a  corpora¬ 
tion  fiddler,  and  saw  wood.” 


“  BECAUSE  OF  CHARITY.” 

“  God  is  wonderfully  blessing  our  efforts,  and  I  do 
wish  in  my  heart  I  might  be  able  to  say  something 
to  convince  you  as  never  before  of  the  great  neces¬ 
sity  of  charity.  We  have  been  blessed  signally  in 
this  movement,  and  if  it  differs  from  any  other  move¬ 
ment,  it  is  because  God  has  given  us  charity.” 


“  GRACE  GETS  RUM  OUT.” 

“  In  Elmira,  out  of  a  population  of  twenty  thou¬ 
sand,  ten  thousand  had  signed  the  pledge,  all  the 
places  in  that  vicinity  were  holding  prayer  meetings, 
and  the  ministers  who  had  been  advocating  prohibi¬ 
tion  were  finding  out  their  mistake.  There  is  noth¬ 
ing  like  the  grace  of  God  to  save  the  liquor-seller. 


222 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


You  can  wash  him  as  much  as  you  like  in  prohibition 
and  local  option,  but  it’s  the  grace  of  God  that  gets 
the  rum  out  of  him.” 


“  NO  POLITICS.” 

“We  have  a  temperance  movement  now,  that  is 
not  a  political  movement.  Some  people  say  it  will  be 
a  political  movement  after  awhile.  Never!  Never! 
I’ll  oppose  that  movement  as  long  as  I  live.  We 
have  as  many  temperance  men  among  the  Demo¬ 
crats  as  among  the  Republicans.  There  is  a  great 
deal  in  example,  and  if  we  would  have  others  better 
we  must  live  better  lives  ourselves.  Redemption  is 
to  be  achieved  through  faith  in  God.” 


u  ATTENTION  TO  CHILDREN.” 

Mr.  Murphy  thanked  God  that  the  army  of  free 
men  and  free  women  was  increasing.  The  best 
tidings  came  from  everywhere  of  men  who  had  con¬ 
cluded  to  keep  their  money  and  take  it  home.  There 
were  lots  of  happy  wives  and  children,  for  when 
father’s  stopped  drinking  they  turned  their  attention 
to  the  children. 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


223 


“  COMMON  SENSE  PRINCIPLES.” 

He  explained  that  there  was  a  great  deal  in  the 
manner  in  which  men  were  approached  whether  they 
signed  the  pledge  or  not.  While  he  was  speaking  a 
gentleman  came  up  the  aisle  arm  in  arm  with  another 
person.  “  That’s  the  way  to  bring  them,”  said  Mr, 
Murphy  ;  u  good  boy,  Tom.”  u  My  name’s  Daniel,” 
interrupted  the  man,  u  and  I’m  goin’  to  shut  down.” 
61  That’s  right ;  amen !  I  tell  you  we  have  got  to 
come  down  to  common  sense  principles.  It  is  the 
man  who  dresses  the  wounds  of  the  afflicted  and 
feeds  the  hungry  who  is  successful.” 


“not  a  failure.” 

“May  God  give  us  strength  and  aid.  This  blessed 
moral  reform  is  not  a  failure.  The  blood-stained  ban¬ 
ner  of  Immanuel  shall  not  be  taken  down  from  the 
mast  of  this  Gospel  temperance  ship.  Wave  after 
wave  shall  beat  against  its  prow ;  wave  after  wave 
shall  meet  her  on  her  onward  course.  But  what  care 
we  for  that?  He  who  controls  the  ocean  itself  has 
His  hand  at  the  helm.  Oh,  thou  blessed  Immanuel ! 
Sail  on,  oh  Gospel  temperance  ship.  Yonder  is  the 
golden  shore,  and  there  the  ship  shall  come  safe  into 
port  from  every  wind  and  every  storm.” 


224 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


“  HOW  TO  SALT  DOWN  AN  OLD  BACKSLIDER.” 

“  To-day  we  have  been  especially  reminded  of  the 
sleeping  dead,  but  it  seems  to  me  to-day  that  in  the 
rush  of  life  it  is  our  duty  to  take  care  of  the  living. 
I  thank  God  that  the  angel  of  mercy  is  kindly  look¬ 
ing  down  on  us  to-day,  and,  great  as  the  scourge  of 
slavery  was,  it  was  not  so  great  as  the  slavery  of  in¬ 
toxicating  liquors.  There  is  hardly  a  household  but 
has  lost  a  boy  from  drunkenness,  but  no  one  thinks 
of  decorating  their  graves !  If  you  want  to  save  a 
piece  of  meat  you  salt  it  down,  and  there’s  no  use  in 
trying  to  save  it  without  salting  it ;  and  I  tell  you 
nothing  but  the  grace  of  God  will  salt  down  an  old 
backslider.” 


“  PRACTICAL  CHRISTIANITY.” 

“I  look  upon  every  fifty  signatures,  as  going  a 
long  way  toward  shutting  up  a  liquor  shop.  It  had 
been  said  that  God  helps  those  who  help  themselves. 
If  you  come  to  a  river  don’t  stop  for  it  to  turn  out  of 
your  way,  for  if  you  do  you  will  never  cross  it.  It 
would  be  better  to  plunge  in  and  take  the  conse¬ 
quences.  Everything  is  possible  with  God.  Is  it  not 
better  to  make  an  honest  effort  by  signing  the  pledge  ? 
Is  it  not  also  infinitely  better  to  place  the  hand  of 
kindness  upon  the  man  who  is  drinking  and  lead  him 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


225 


to  the  place  of  safety,  rather  than  to  wait  until  he  has 
become  ruined  ?  Instead  of  having  outside  societies, 
take  the  men  in  the  Church,  and  let  them  feel  that 
Christianity  means  something.  Love  and  charity 
must  be  practical,  and  there  would  be  more  accom¬ 
plished  than  by  any  other  way.  Not  to  go  after  even 
the  tavern-keeper  would  be  like  expecting  to  catch 
fish  without  going  near  the  river.  The  saloon-keeper 
is  carrying  on  a  business  that  has  been  legalized,  and 
he  has  a  family  to  be  saved  as  much  as  any  one  else. 
Practical  Christianity  must  be  practiced,  and  if  these 
men  are  met  with  kindly  they,  too,  can  be  as  easily 
turned  from  their  evil  way.  Away  with  the  bowl, 
men,  and  make  an  earnest  effort  for  the  right  by 
standing  up  in  your  dignity,  and  being  freed  forever 
from  the  power  of  rum.” 


“we  have  stopped  drinking.” 

“  The  spirit  of  this  movement  is  the  spirit  of  lib¬ 
erty.  A  man  has  a  right  to  drink  if  he  sees  fit;  no 
good  will  come  of  trying  to  compel  him  to  stop  drink¬ 
ing.  Men  who  indulge  in  drink  are  apt  to  be  some¬ 
what  opinionated.  They  take  the  position  that  they 
are  able  to  drink  or  stop  drinking  if  they  are  a  mind 
to.  They  are  not  likely  to  be  forced  to  stop  ;  but  get 
to  them  and  reason  with  him  in  the  name  of  his  fam¬ 
ily,  in  the  name  of  his  wife,  of  his  children,  and  for 
the  sake  of  himself,  and  you  will  reach  him.  I  say 

"15 


226 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


to  the  man  who  is  engaged  in  liquor  selling,  sell  away, 
sell  all  you  can,  but  we  have  stopped  drinking.  We 
say  when  drinking  is  stopped  there  will  be  no  more 
selling.” 


“GET  THE  IRISH  ALL  RIGHT.” 

“  Let  us  get  the  Irish  all  right  [laughter]  ;  let  us  get 
the  Yankees  all  right;  let  us  get  the  Englishman  to 
give  up  his  4  hale.’  We  need  not  worry  about  the 
German,  who  prefers  his  lager  and  his  band  of  music 
on  the  Sabbath  day,  for  when  God  sends  evangelists 
to  the  Germans  they  will  be  reached,  they  will  hear.” 


MR.  MURPHY  AFTER  “  THE  BOYS.” 

The  way  in  which  Mr.  Murphy,  at  times,  calls  up 
his  recruits  at  great  meetings,  will  be  interesting  to 
many.  On  the  30th  of  May,  1877,  at  the  Tabernacle, 
a  reporter  noted  down  as  follows: 

46  Remember,  every  door  you  knock  at  will  open 
to  you,”  began  Brother  Murphy  last  night.  a  If  you 
knock  at  a  saloon  door,  it  will  open  to  you ;  and  if 
you  knock  at  the  door  of  total  abstinence,  it  will  be 
opened  to  you.  Now  we  are  going  to  have  some 
speeches  from  the  boys.  Some  of  them  think  they 
can  hide  away  from  me,  but  they  are  mistaken. 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


227 


“  I  want  that  man  there  (pointing)  with  black  hair/7 
said  he,  and  the  man  with  black  hair  attempted  to 
excuse  himself,  when  Brother  Murphy  pleasantly  in¬ 
terrupted  him  with  “Now,  you  go  on ;  I  don’t  want 
any  fooling  about  it;  we  want  to  hear  what  you  have 
to  say  for  the  good  cause;”  and  the  “bulldozed” 
speaker  proceeded,  amid  the  applause  of  the  audience, 
to  obey  instructions. 


“  STRONG  FAITH.” 

The  character  of  Mr.  Murphy  cannot  be  more 
strongly  shown  forth  than  in  his  words  used  at  a 
meeting  on  May  2d,  1877  : 

“But  I  think  there  has  been  a  spirit  of  bravado, 
of  self-righteousness,  of  fictitious  exultation  on  our 
part,  because  we  had  a  little  success.  If  we  are  to 
succeed  fully,  my  friends,  the  only  way  is  to  assume 
the  spirit  of  the  servant.  The  servant  should  not  be 
greater  than  his  lord,  and  we  should  not  be  above 
doing  what  Christ  did.  I  have  faith  in  victory,  the 
grandest  the  world  has  ever  seen.” 

Here  was  evidence  indeed ;  a  lesson  of  power  to 
those  who  were  co-laborers  with  him,  which  cannot 
fail,  of  itself,  in  yielding  additional  strength  to  the 
cause.  Such  a  man  is,  in  truth,  a  philantropist,  a 
missionary,  a  Christian. 


/ 


228 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


A  SERMON  FROM  THE  HEART. 

On  an  important  occasion,  when  Mr.  Murphy  had 
finished  speaking,  there  was  not  a  dry  eye  in  the  as¬ 
semblage.  A  natural,  although  untrained,  orator  he 
put  himself  at  once  en  rapport  with  his  audience  by 
placing  himself  on  their  level.  While  he  was  speak¬ 
ing,  one  of  the  babies,  lying  in  the  lap  of  its  mother, 
who  was  sitting  directly  in  front  of  Mr.  Murphy,  be¬ 
gan  to  talk  back,  and  continued  until  its  interruptions 
became  disconcerting  to  the  speaker,  annoying  to  the 
audience,  and  mortifying  to  the  mother.  But  Mr. 
Murphy  suddenly  removed  the  difficulty  by  saying 
in  the  kindest  tone  of  voice:  “  Your  baby  is  agitated 
by  being  directly  in  front  of  me,  sister.  If  you  take 
a  seat  on  the  side  it  will  not  annoy  you  so.”  And, 
as  the  mother  thanked  him  and  went  over  to  where 
he  had  pointed,  she  was  quickly  accommodated  by 
Mr.  Murphy’s  request  to  “  make  room  for  the  lady.” 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

n 

u  TO  GOD  BE  ALL  PRAISE.” 

The  following  remarks  were  made  by  Capt.  Cyrus 
Sturdivant,  at  a  great  Murphy  gathering  in  the  Phila¬ 
delphia  Tabernacle,  May  28th,  1877  : 

u  Little  did  I  think,  when  I  took  by  the  hand  our 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


229 


dear  Brother  Murphy,  seven  years  ago,  and  invited 
him  to  accept  this  religion  of  Christ,  that  that  invita¬ 
tion  of  mine  would,  under  God,  lead  to  such  glorious 
results.  But  I  wish  to  take  none  of  the  glory ;  to 
God  be  all  praise.  Now,  my  idea  is  that  we  had  bet¬ 
ter  go  to  work.  That  is  the  only  safety.  Work  for 
Christ,  and  it  will  not  be  in  vain.  We  must  get  out 
of  the  ruts  and  get  on  to  the  tracks,  and  may  God 
help  us,  that  we  may  be  diligent  in  the  service.  It 
wouldn’t  be  very  hard  for  us  together  to  dig  up  a 
bushel  of  Murphies,  and  if  they  are  not  all  Francis 
Murphys  God  will  wash  and  purify  them,  and  send 
them  out  for  good.” 


Speech  of  Capt.  W.  B.  Claney,  one  of  the  most 
prominent  of  Mr.  Murphy’s  reformed  men,  delivered 
recently  in  Springfield,  Ohio  : 

“  HOW  A  MAN  WAS  BROUGHT  IN.” 

“As  I  was  standing  in  front  of  the  hotel,  just  be¬ 
fore  tea,  there  came  up  to  me  a  gentleman,  rather 
roughly  dressed.  I  looked  at  him,  and  he  said, 
‘  Excuse  me,  sir;  but  do  you  live  here?’  I  said: 
‘No,  sir,  I  don’t.’  ‘Where  are  you  from?’  ‘I 
am  from  Pittsburg.’  ‘Well,  I  am  a  curious  kind 
of  a  man,  and  I  ask  some  curious  questions  some¬ 
times — what  is  your  business?’  Said  I,  4 1  do  a 
little  talking  sometimes  to  the  boys.’  ‘Yes;  well, 


230 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


you  are  not  Murphy,  are  you?’  I  said:  ‘No,  sir; 
I  am  not.’  A  gentleman  who  was  standing  there, 
said:  4  He  is  Murphy’s  son.’  They  always  give  me 
away,  you  know.  [Laughter.]  The  man  looked  at 
me  a  little  bit,  and  he  said  :  4  I  guess  he  is  Murphy’s 
son  by  adoption.’  I  said:  ‘Yes,  I  am.’  4  Well, 
you  are  doing  good  work  here.’  ‘  Yes,  sir;  we  are 
trying  to  do  the  boys  a  little  good.’  ‘  W ell,  upon 
my  soul  it  is  the  best  thing  that  ever  was  started  in 
Springfield.’  4  Well,’  said  I,  4  where  is  your  blue 
ribbon.’  ‘Oh,  that  is  further  along.  You  don’t 
take  care  of  our  creed,  I  guess.5  I  said,  ‘  Yes,  we 
do.  I  understand  what  you  mean,  sir.  We  don’t 
know  any  division  of  religious  interest  in  this  thing. 
We  know  no  sectarianism.5  Said  I,  ‘A  gentleman 
connected  with  the  Catholic  Abstinence  Society,  of 
Pittsburg,  stands  upon  our  platform  and  talks  to  the 
boys,  and  hundreds  of  Catholics  have  signed  the 
pledge  at  our  meetings  and  gone  over  and  reported 
it  to  the  Catholic  Society.’  I  said,  ‘You  come  down 
to-night  and  sign  that  pledge.’  He  said,  4  No;  I  am 
not  dressed  well  enough.’  Said  I,  ‘  My  friend,  do 
you  think  clothes  make  any  difference  with  a  man  ? 
If  you  do,  I  don’t.5  ‘Well,  I  had  rather  not  go 
down.  Everybody  knows  me,  and  I  would  rather 
not  go  down.5  Said  I,  ‘  That  is  the  very  reason 
you  ought  to  do  it,  and  let  these  manufacturers  and 
business  men  see  that  you  are  trying  to  get  up.5  He 
said  he  came  to  the  city  of  Springfield  twenty -eight 
years  ago,  and  there  was  hardly  a  married  lady  in  the 
city  of  Springfield  but  what  knew  him,  for  he  had 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


281 


been  a  gas-fitter,  and  bad  pat  in  a  great  many  gas 
pipes.  ‘Well,’  said  I,  ‘  If  you  want  to  sign  the 
pledge,  you  come  right  in  and  sign  it  now.’  ‘I  will 
do  that,  for  I  want  to  quit  it.’  And  I  have  his  name, 
and  it  is  Owen  Briggen  [applause]  ;  and  he  promised 
me  he  would  be  here  to  morrow  night. 

“  YOU  CAN  BALANCE  MY  ACCOUNT.” 

“  There  are  two  or  three  things  I  would  like  to  talk 

about  to-night.  I  want  to  relate  a  circumstance, 

simply  to  show  some  of  you  business  men  the  kind 

of  stuff  some  of  these  bovs  that  drink  are  made  of. 

There  is  a  gentleman  that  keeps  a  store  in  the  city  of 

Springfield,  and  I  do  pray  God  to  bless  him,  and 

have  mercy  upon  him,  and  teach  him  to  look  to  a 

higher  life  than  that  in  which  he  is  walking;  and  one 

of  these  boys  came  into  his  store  this  morning  with 

a  blue  ribbon  on  his  coat.  ‘  Where  did  you  get 

that?’  ‘  Well,  I  was  down  in  the  hall,  and  signed 

the  pledge,  and  a  lady  pinned  it  upon  my  coat.’ 

‘You  can’t  wrork  for  me  unless  you  take  that  blue 

■/ 

ribbon  off.  It  will  hurt  my  business.’  Following 
him  came  in  the  other  employees.  The  first  one  had 
been  kind  of  weakened  down  a  little  by  what  his 
employer  had  said  to  him,  but  it  is  astonishing  how 
these  boys,  when  they  get  together,  can  nerve  one 
another  up.  Another  boy  came  into  the  store,  and 
the  gentleman  said  :  ‘  You  have  got  a  blue  ribbon, 
too,  have  you?’  ‘Yes,  sir.’  ‘Well,  I  have  just 
told  so-and-so  he  would  have  to  take  his  ribbon  off  or 


232 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


quit,  and  so  I  tell  you  you  can’t  work  for  me  unless 
you  take  that  blue  ribbon  off.’  ‘  Well,  I  have  signed 
that  pledge,  and  by  God’s  help  I  will  keep  it,  and 
you  can  just  balance  my  account,  and  hand  me  wbat 
is  coming  to  me,  and  I  will  go  some  place  else.’ 
[Applause.] 

“  don’t  like  to  wear  ribbon.” 

“  Said  a  man  to  me  to-day :  ‘  I  don’t  like  to  wear 
the  ribbon,  because  I  will  be  pointed  out  as  a  re¬ 
formed  drunkard.’  ‘  Well,  God  bless  you.7  I  said, 
‘you  had  better  be  pointed  out  that  than  have  your 
name  published  in  the  Eepublie  ‘fined  one  dollar  and 
costs  for  drunkenness.’  [Laughter.]  I  tell  you,  my 
dear  brother,  there  is  a  day  coming,  when  you  have 
settled  up  all  the  business  of  this  earth  that  you  can 
do,  the  time  will  come  when  you  have  to  hand  in 
your  accounts  to  the  Almighty,  and  you  will  not 
care  then  whether  the  world  points  at  you  and  calls 
you  a  reformed  man,  if  you  have  only  been  redeemed 
through  the  blood  of  Christ. 

“a  man  diligent  in  business  I” 

[These  words  occurred  in  the  selections  from  the 
Scriptures  read  by  Captain  Claney.]  “  Is  a  man  dili¬ 
gent  in  business  that  is  a  coward  to  his  principles? 
Let  me  tell  you  an  instance  that  came  under  my  ob¬ 
servation.  My  father  was  for  twenty-three  years 
connected  with  the  old  Bank  of  Pittsburg.  He  was 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


233 


a  strict  man — what  they  termed  in  Pittsburg  one  of 
the  conscientious  Christians.  Some  of  you  boys  talk 
about  having  your  Sundays  and  all  that  sort  of  thing, 
but  I  tell  you  if  you  had  lived  with  my  father,  you 
would  have  found  out  what  it  was  to  spend  the  Sab¬ 
bath  properly.  But  he  left  the  bank  and  purchased 
a  farm  near  Salem,  Ohio,  a  Quaker  settlement.  Prior 
to  his  going  there  he  had  lived  for  a  few  years  in  the 
country  outside  of  the  city,  and  he  was  so  strict  that 
he  would  not  permit  me  to  go  there  on  the  Sabbath 
to  visit  him.  He  thought  the  Sabbath  was  a  day  of 
rest,  religious  rest,  that  benefitted  the  mind  as  well  as 
the  body.  W ell,  his  principles  were  generally  known, 
and  it  was  said  he  would  not  live  there  very  long, 
because  you  know  they  visit  on  Sunday.  He  said 
nothing  in  reply  to  this.  I  went  to  the  country  with 
him.  The  next  Sabbath,  just  after  we  got  home  from 
church  and  had  our  dinner,  and  I  had  turned  the 
horses  out  to  pasture,  I  noticed  the  son  of  a  leading 
Quaker  who  lived  in  the  neighborhood,  coming  across 
the  fields  towards  the  house.  I  went  and  told  my 
father;  I  said:  ‘There  comes  so  and  so;  now  don’t 
you  go  lecturing  him  and  telling  him  you  don’t  allow 
anybody  to  visit  here  on  Sunday  ;  be  a  little  polite 
to  him,  and  you  will  get  along  better.’  He  never 
answered  me,  but  he  went  into  the  library,  and  I  saw 
him  feeling  along  the  second  shelf  of  his  bookcase. 
I  knew  what  that  meant ;  as  the  boy  said,  4 1  have 
been  there  before.’  He  was  hunting  among  some 
volumes  of  Irish  sermons.  In  Ireland,  you  know, 
they  preach  sermons  about  three  hours  long,  and  the 


234 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


way  he  read  them  they  were  about  five.  [Laughter.] 
Just  as  he  got  the  volume  out,  this  young  man  stepped 
in  at  the  door.  Said  my  father:  4  Be  seated.  We 
can  not  enjoy  the  privileges  of  the  sanctuary  this 
afternoon,  and  so  we  will  try  and  improve  our  minds 
with  something  useful.  I  have  a  very  good  sermon 
on  the  text  so  and  so,’  aud  away  he  went.  [Laughter.] 
And  when  he  got  through  it  was  about  a  quarter  past 
five.  Then  Brother  Lewis  got  up  and  went  away. 
After  he  got  out  of  the  house  I  said  to  father :  4  That 
ends  that  now.  You  have  put  your  foot  in  it.  If 
you  expect  to  live  among  these  folks  here,  you  can 
not  act  that  way.’  In  other  words,  boys,  I  wanted 
him  to  have  that  kind  of  religion  that  has  the  gum- 
band  conscience  with  it.  The  next  Sabbath,  just  as 
we  got  out  of  the  carriage,  Samuel  French,  a  promi¬ 
nent  Quaker,  came  riding  up,  and  said  :  ‘  How  dost 
thou  do,  brother  Samuel?  How  art  thou?  I  came 
over  to  see  if  thou  wouldst  rent  me  some  of  thy 
pasture.  If  thou  wilt,  I  will  pay  thee  well  for  it.’ 
Said  my  father  :  i  Mr.  French,  the  Bible  tells  me, 

4 Six  days  shalt  thou  do  thy  labor,  but  on  the  seventh 
thou  shalt  rest.’  I  cannot  talk  business  with  you  on 
the  Sabbath.  Good  day,  Mr.  French.’  I  said  to  my 
father,  4  Now  your  goose  is  cooked.  That  is  a  lead¬ 
ing  Quaker.’  But  I  stayed  at  home  two  years,  and 
it  is  something  very  strange,  boys,  but  in  all  that 
time  my  father  never  drove  a  hoof  oft*  that  farm,  and 
never  hauled  a  bushel  of  grain  oft*  it,  and  it  was  a 
large  farm  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  acres.  And  I 
took  notice  that  when  it  came  to  planting  time  and 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


235 


harvest,  there  were  offers  of  help  and  1  neighboring,’ 
as  they  call  it.  About  a  year  after  that  I  met  Mr. 
French,  and  I  spoke  to  him  about  that  meeting  with 
my  father  on  the  Sabbath,  and  asked  him  if  he  was 
offended  at  what  my  father  had  said.  I  told  him  I 
thought  it  was  funny  the  Quakers  were  all  so  kind 
to  father,  when  they  got  so  cool  a  reception  from  him 
on  those  occasions  I  have  mentioned.  Said  he: 
‘William,  let  me  tell  thee.  The  good  book  tells  us 
we  must  have  a  fixed  principle,  and  live  by  it. 
WThenever  thee  seest  a  man  without  a  fixed  princi¬ 
ple,  put  him  down  as  a  rascal.  •  When  thy  father 
came  amongst  us  we  thought  we  would  try  him  ;  we 
did  try  him,  and  found  him  unwavering,  and  that  is 
the  reason  we  like  thy  father.’  Said  he  :  1  Remem¬ 
ber  it  as  long  as  thou  livest.’  And  I  have  remem¬ 
bered  it.  And  you  show  me  a  man  in  Springfield 
that  is  afraid  to  touch  this  pledge  for  fear  of  injuring 
his  business,  and  I  will  show  you  a  man  that  is  a 
coward,  a  man  that  is  not  to  be  trusted.  Why  is  it 
that  these  manufactories  have  grown  up  in  your 
midst  to  be  so  extensive  that  they  are  known  all  over 
the  land  ?  It  is  because  these  men  have  a  fixed  prin¬ 
ciple  of  business.  They  have  stuck  to  it  honestly 
and  it  pays. 


CAPITAL  AND  LABOR. 

“  I  have  before  me  an  audience  that  is  grand  to  look 
upon.  Tim  influence  and  the  power  that  is  within 
these  walls  to  night  is  great  enough,  if  centered  on 


236 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


one  object,  to  shake  Ohio  from  its  centre  to  its  cir¬ 
cumference.  I  presume  that  I  have  before  me  many 
laboring  men,  and  I  would  say,  without  fear  of  con¬ 
tradiction,  that  a  man  who  will  hire  himself  out  for 
a  day’s  labor  and  then  fill  himself  up  with  liquor 
until  be  is  intoxicated,  and  works  that  day  in  an  in¬ 
toxicated  condition,  taking  his  employer’s  money  for 
it,  is  not  honest.  Capital  and  labor  !  What  is  capi¬ 
tal  worth  without  labor?  Not  a  snap.  What  is 
labor  worth  without  capital?  Not  a  snap.  There 
has  not  been  a  strike  in  this  country — and  I  know 
whereof  I  speak,  for  T  have  had  in  my  employ  as 
many  men,  perhaps,  as  any  man  in  the  house,  of  my 
age,  has  had — I  say  there  has  not  been  a  strike,  in 
our  section  of  the  country  at  least,  where  I  could 
not  trace  the  cause  to  liquor.  And  I  say  the  time  is 
at  hand  when  the  laboring  men  of  this  country,  if 
they  become  sober  men,  and  thereby  conscientious, 
and  thereby  honest,  can  not  only  command,  but  de¬ 
mand,  the  respect  of  capital.  [Applause.] 

wouldn’t  hire  drinking  men. 

“  I  superintended  the  erection  of  that  new  bridge 
at  Pittsburg,  and  the  contractor  on  that  work,  John 
Megraw,  would  not  hire  a  man  that  drank,  and  he 
paid  as  high  as  $4  a  day  for  masons  when  he  could 
have  hired  them  for  $2.50 ;  and  as  high  as  $2.50  a 
day  for  laborers  when  he  could  have  hired  them  for 
$1.50  and  $1.75.  He  would  have  none  but  sober, 
reliable  men,  and  the  consequence  was  that  not  a  day 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


237 


was  lost,  when  the  men  could  work,  in  the  whole 
time  that  he  had  that  contract.  And  what  did  he 
get  for  his  money  ?  He  got  value  received  for  every 
dollar  he  paid  those  men. 

FUN  IN  GETTING  DRUNK. 

“  I  have  heard  men  say  there  was  lots  of  fun  in  get¬ 
ting  drunk.  I  asked  a  man  if  he  thought  that  was 
so.  He  said  yes.  Said  1 :  4  What  about  the  big 
head  in  the  morning?  ’  Said  he:  ‘  I  don’t  take  that 
into  consideration. 7  When  you  boys  go  out  to  trap 
birds  what  do  you  take  to  bait  your  traps  ?  Do  you 
set  that  trap  out  in  the  field  and  then  scatter  a  bucket 
of  chaff  around  it?  Ho.  When  you  set  a  trap  to 
catch  birds  you  spread  around  it  the  rich,  golden 
grain,  because  you  know  that  if  you  put  chaff  there 
you  would  not  catch  a  bird.  But  these  saloon¬ 
keepers  catch  you  fellows,  and  with  nothing  but 
chaff.  Did  you  ever  get  an  ounce  of  golden  grain, 
or  one  golden  grain,  in  all  that  you  have  been  fed  by 
them  ?  To-night  we  come  to  you  and  offer  you  the 
golden  grain  ;  the  golden  grain  that  will  put  money 
into  your  pocket;  the  golden  grain  that  will  build  up 
your  character  ;  the  golden  grain  that  will  build  for 
you  a  reputation  and  a  name ;  the  golden  grain  that 
will  build  for  you  a  mansion  beyond  the  vale  of 
death,  whither  you  are  traveling. 

HOW  THEY  GO. 

“  One  glass  don’t  hurt.  Did  you  ever  see  a  man 
commence  to-day  and  be  a  drunkard  to-morrow? 


238 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


Did  you  ever  see  a  train  leave  your  depot,  and  as  the 
engineer  opened  the  throttle-valve,  make  a  jump  and 
land  in  Columbus  ?  No;  but  the  engineer  opening 
that  throttle- valve,  away  went  the  engine,  slow  and 
steady  at  first,  but  gradually  increasing  its  velocity 
until  it  was  bounding  along  the  iron  rail  at  the  rate 
of  forty  miles  an  hour.  And,  my  brother,  that  is  the 
history  of  an  intemperate  man.  At  first  you  go 
slowly,  but  gradually  you  increase  your  pace  until 
the  first  thing  you  know  you  are  bounding  along 
on  that  railroad,  of  glass,  and  you  can  hear  the  roar 
of  that  cataract  that  is  beyond.  You  glide  on 
smoothly,  but  you  have  lost  the  control  of  self.  Is  it 
true,  or  is  it  not  ? 


REFUSING  HELP. 

“  My  brother  spoke  to  you  last  night  about  the 
Niagara  river.  It  brought  to  my  mind  an  incident, 
and  I  want  to  ask  this  audience  to-night  to  go  with 
me  to  the  banks  of  that  river.  Watch  that  man  in 
the  current.  You  and  I  are  screaming  at  the  tops  of 
our  voices  for  him  to  lay  hold  of  the  bushes  that 
grow  along  the  banks.  But  he  answers,  4  No;  there 
are  thorns  on  the  bushes,  and  I  will  get  my  hands 
.  scratched.  I  will  not  lay  hold.’  If  you  saw  such  a 
man,  what  would  you  think?  Why,  he  has  refused 
the  proffered  aid,  and  to  death  let  him  go.  And  to¬ 
night,  my  brother,  you  are  in  this  dark,  rolling 
river,  and  it  is  sweeping  you  on  to  death.  Your 
friends  and  neighbors  are  crying  to  you  to  lay  hold 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


239 


of  the  promises  in  this  Holy  Book.  The  thorns  in 
the  road  with  you  are  your  prejudices,  and  we  ask 
you  who  is  to  blame  if  you  go  on,  for  yonder,  if  you 
will  but  open  your  ears,  you  can  hear  the  roar  of 
that  cataract,  wBich  to  you,  in  passing  over  it,  is 
certain  death. 


“burst  the  bonds.” 

“And  now,  who  is  to  answer  all  these  questions? 
Bor  whose  benefit  is  it  ?  What  interest  is  it  to  me  ? 
On  next  Wednesday  or  Thursday  I  will  leave  your 
city.  My  business  interests  are  nothing  in  it  now, 
although  they  were  great  in  years  that  are  gone,  for 
I  shipped  many  car  loads  of  black  diamonds  into  this; 
city.  But  to  whose  interest  is  it  to  be  here  to-night? 
Is  it  to  mine  ?  What  difference  does  it  make  to  me 
whether  a  man  comes  down  that  aisle  and  signs  that 
pledge  or  not,  so  far  as  I  am  personally  concerned  ? 
You  are  the  benefited  ones,  you  who  sign,  and  it  is 
for  your  interest.  We  ask  you  to  stop  a  moment 
and  use  the  God-giving  powers  within  you,  and  act 
like  thinking  men,  and  if  the  toils  of  the  serpent  have 
wound  themselves  around  you  so  tight  that  it  seems 
a  hard  thing  for  you  even  to  attempt  the  effort,  let 
that  thought  make  you  remember  your  manhood, 
and  shake  off  the  tempter  now  and  for  ever.  Does  a 
man  in  business  to-day,  because  he  fails,  stop  there  ? 
Is  there  a  man  in  your  city  that  stands  high  finan¬ 
cially  who  ever  attained  that  position  without  sur¬ 
mounting  difficulty  after  difficulty  until  he  reached 
the  point  where  he  now  is?  On,  burst  the  bonds?” 


240 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


Interesting  and  amusing  speech  of  Alderman  Harry 
B.  Smithson,  one  of  the  Murphy  converts  from  Pitts¬ 
burg,  delivered  at  a  great  gathering  in  the  State  of 

Ohio : 

„  u  My  Friends  : — W e  may  expect,  as  Brother  Claney 
has  told  you,  to  meet  with  opposition — opposition 
from  the  men  most  deeply  interested  in  this  matter — 
that  is  the  business  men  of  the  city.  There  is  always 
a  class  of  people  who  go  around  through  this  world 
measuring  other  people’s  corn  in  their  half  bushel. 
The  cry  now  upon  the  streets  is  that  the  “  boys”  won’t 
stick.  Well,  what  are  you  doing  to  try  to  help  them 
stick?  All  we  ask  of  you  is  just  to  sit  still  and  see 
the  salvation  of  the  Lord.  We  have  come  here  to 
enter  into  this  fight,  and  we  propose  to  go  through 
with  it  just  as  the  old  darky  did  when  he  went  into 
the  bear  fight.  There  used  to  be  an  old  darky  in 
Kentucky  who  used  to  go  out  into  the  woods  hunting 
bears,  and  whenever  he  met  with  an  extraordinary 
large  one,  as  soon  as  he  got  his  eye  on  him,  he  would 
takeoff1  his  coat  and  repeat  this  prayer:  ‘  0,  good 
Lord,  if  you  ain’t  gwine  to  be  on  my  side,  don’t  you 
be  on  dat  bar’s  side.  Stand  back  and  you  will  see 
the  greatest  bar  fight  you  ever  seen  in  your  life.’ 
[Laughter.]  How,  let  me  say  to  you  men  and  women 
of  Springfield  who  to-day  are  opposing  this  move¬ 
ment,  ‘If  you  can’t  give  us  your  influence, just  you 
stand  back,  and  you  will  see  the  greatest  tussle  that 
‘Old  Tanglefoot’  ever  had  in  Springfield.’  [Applause 
and  laughter.] 

“  I  was  talking  to  several  men  to-day  about  the  rep- 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE.  241 

utation  of  your  town.  What  is  it  ?  It  is  well  known 
to  many  of  you.  The  reputation  of  Springfield  to¬ 
day  is  almost  National.  It  is  the  worst  city,  the 
worst  town  in  the  State  of  Ohio.  [4  Give  it  to  ’em.’] 
And  who  has  given  it  that  name  ?  Why  you,  and 
you,  and  you.  The  reputation  of  Springfield  is  noth¬ 
ing  more  than  your  own  combined.  Why  I  can  re¬ 
member,  some  years  ago  when  I  was  in  Pittsburg,  I 
went  to  Boston  three  times  a  year  to  buy  goods.  At 
my  first  visit  there  I  was  invited  by  the  merchant 
from  whom  I  had  purchased  a  bill  of  goods  to  go 
round  to  a  restaurant  and  take  lunch.  We  went 
round,  and  while  there  I  was  introduced  to  several 
parties,  and  one  gentleman  asked  me  up  to  take  a 
drink.  We  turned  round  and  faced  the  bar.  The 
bar-keeper  at  once  threw  out  a  decanter  and  tumbler 
for  me  and  asked  the  rest  what  they  would  have.  I 
asked  what  was  in  the  decanter,  and  the  bar-keeper 
said  whiskey.  1  Why,’  said  I,  1  my  friend,  I  didn’t 
call  for  whiskey.’  He  said,  4  No,  sir,  but  I  heard  the 
gentleman  introducing  you  as  a  merchant  from  Pitts¬ 
burg,  and  they  all  drink  whiskey  over  there.  Every 
Pittsburg  man  drinks  whiskey.”  [Applause.] 

Captain  Claney. — “  Pittsburg  had  a  pretty  good 
representative  that  time.” 

Brother  Smithson. — 44  Yes,  sir.  I  never  went  back 
on  my  tod.  Another  incident  to  show  how  a  town 
may  gain  a  reputation,  as  well  as  a  man.  A  party 
of  gentlemen  were  traveling  East.  They  had  a 
traveling  companion  with  them  called  the  ‘  Black 

Betty.’  Many  of  you  have  taken  one  along  with 

16 


242 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


you  from  Springfield.  I  know  some  of  you  that 
have,  and  I  could  put  my  hands  right  on  the  top  of 
your  heads.  Unfortunately  they  broke  the  cork, 
and  could  not  get  it  out  of  the  bottle,  and  they  were 
very  much  worried  about  it.  A  gentleman  on  the 
other  side  of  the  car,  seeing  that  they  were  so  much 
worried,  said:  ‘Gentlemen,  what  is  the  matter?’ 
One  of  them  said  they  had  broken  the  cork,  and 
could  not  get  it  out.  ‘Oh,’  said  he,  ‘that  matter 
can  be  very  soon  settled/  and  he  rose  in  his  seat  and 
called  out,  ‘  Is  there  any  gentleman  in  this  car  from 
Pittsburg  ?  ’  A  little  man  in  the  other  end  of  the  car 
got  up  and  said  he  had  the  honor  to  represent  the 
Smoky  City.  ‘  My  dear  friend/  said  the  gentleman, 
‘would  you  be  kind  enough  to  loan  me  your  cork¬ 
screw  ?  ’  [Laughter.] 

“Reputation  !  Why,  when  we  first  started  out  in 
this  movement  the  first  place  we  went  to  was  the 
town  of  Youngstown.  The  morning  after  we  had 
spoken  in  that  town,  while  in  conversation  with  a 
certain  gentleman,  the  Superintendent  of  the  Presby¬ 
terian  Sabbath-school  there,  told  me  in  a  confidential 
manner  that  there  were  but  four  men  in  Youngstown 
who  knew  that  he  had  not  signed  the  pledge.  I  said 
to  him,  4  My  dear  friend,  don’t  you  lay  that  flatter¬ 
ing  unction  to  your  soul,  for  I  had  not  been  in  this 
town  for  more  than  an  hour  till  over  thirty  people 
had  told  me  that  you  had  not,  and  they  told  me,  fur¬ 
thermore,  that  you  have  got  some  very  nice  liquor  up 
in  your  cellar.7  It  is  not  hard  to  get  a  reputation. 
That  was  his  reputation,  and  he  thought  that  nobody 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


243 


but  four  in  the  whole  place  knew  it.  And  I  was 
very  sorry  to  see  that  we  came  away  from  that  place 
without  that  man  signing  the  pledge. 

LOVE  AND  TODDY. 

“  I  was  talking  to-day  with  a  couple  of  young  men 
in  your  place,  talking  about  how  they  first  began  and 
first  learned  to  drink.  It  just  reminded  me  of  the 
first  drink  I  ever  took  ;  and  by  the  by,  I  will  just 
tell  you  about  it.  I  left  home  when  I  was  quite 
young  to  learn  steamboating  as  a  profession.  I  had 
obtained  a  situation  on  a  boat  running  from  Louis¬ 
ville  to  Bowling  Green,  Kentucky,  up  the  Green 
River.  I  had  steamboated  up  there  for  two  seasons, 
and  I  was  very  anxious  to  form  the  acquaintance  of 
some  of  the  young  folks,  but  their  rules  there  were 
very  strict,  and  they  would  not  introduce  a  young 
man  into  their  families  without  knowing  who  he  was, 
and  unless  he  was  recommended.  Being  a  stranger 
and  having  no  one  to  recommend  me,  I  was  put  to 
my  wit’s  ends  to  get  acquainted  on  my  own  hook. 
Bowling  Green  is  situated  about  a  mile  and  a  half 
back  of  the  river,  and  walking  up  the  railroad  one 
day  I  saw  a  very  handsome  girl  standing  at  the  door 
of  a  house.  I  made  up  my  mind  that  I  would  like 
to  form  the  young  lady’s  acquaintance,  but  I  didn’t 
know  exactly  how  to  do  it.  I  looked  around  and  I 
spied  an  old  darky  sitting  on  a  log  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  road.  Going  over  and  entaring  into  con¬ 
versation  with  him,  I  found  out  that  he  was  very 


244 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


well  acquainted  with  the  family — in  fact  had  known 
the  family  for  three  or  four  generations  back.  He 
was  my  huckleberry.  I  gave  him  a  half  a  dollar  and 
he  posted  me  in  regard  to  the  family  for  two  or  three 
or  four  generations.  Seeing  the  old  gentleman  stand¬ 
ing  in  the  yard,  I  went  up  and  accosted  him  and  in¬ 
quired  if  he  had  any  chickens  for  sale.  He  looked 
at  me  rather  strange,  and  asked  me  what  I  wanted 
with  chickens.  I  told  him  I  wanted  to  buy  them  for 
the  boat.  He  didn’t  have  any  to  sell,  but  somehow 
or  other  he  happened  to  mention  that  his  name  was 
Fox.  4  What?’  said  I,  4  Fox!  is  it  possible?’  and 
I  very  suddenly  remembered  about  my  mother  speak¬ 
ing  to  me  about  her  relations  in  Kentucky  by  the 
name  of  Fox.  [Laughter.]  Never  had  one  of  that 
name  though,  and  never  want  one.  But  the  old  gen¬ 
tleman  took  me  into  the  house  and  introduced  me  to 
the  family,  where  I  was  at  once  cousined  by  them  all. 
I  was  invited  to  call  at  the  end  of  my  next  trip,  and 
stay  at  the  house,  which  I  did.  The  custom  there  is 
to  make  a  toddy  in  the  morning,  and  every  one  in  the 
family,  from  the  baby  to  the  oldest  one  in  it,  takes  a 
drink.  I  being  the  company,  the  old  gentleman 
brought  me  the  tumbler  first,  one  of  those  large¬ 
sized  ones,  holding  nearly  a  quart,  and  I,  not  being 
accustomed  to  their  ways  and  manners  there,  tugged 
away  at  it.  It  scratched  my  throat  a  little,  but  I 
rolled  it  down,  and  never  stopped  till  I  drained  it. 
[Laughter  ]  At  home  each  one  of  us  had  a  tumbler 
to  himself,  and  I  supposed  that  was  the  custom  there. 
In  about  ten  minutes  or  so  afterward  (so  I  was  after- 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


245 


ward  informed — laughter)  the  old  gentleman  came  in 
to  invite  me  to  breakfast.  But,  alas  !  poor  Smithson 
was  laid  out.  [Renewed  laughter.]  I  was  lying  on 
the  floor,  and  I  could  not  have  got  out  of  that  door 
if  it  had  been  as  big  as  a  barn.  Now,  that  was  the 
first  drop  of  liquor  I  ever  touched  in  my  life.  Al¬ 
though  I  had  inherited  a  very  strong  desire  for  drink, 
I  had  always  fought  against  it. 

TASTING  LIQUOR. — TWO  INSTANCES. 

a  I  want  to  say  to  you  young  ladies  that  are  in  the 
habit  of  passing  the  wine-cup  around  at  your  own 
houses — I  want  to  say  to  you  this:  There  is  a  fearful 
responsibility  resting  upon  you.  I  will  relate  to  you 
just  one  incident  that  occurred  in  Youngstown.  A 
young  man,  an  attorney  there,  who  sang  in  the  choir, 
on  one  occasion  when  he  was  preparing  for  a  concert, 
was  advised  by  the  lady  playing  the  organ  to  take  a 
whiskey  toddy  as  a  remedy  for  a  severe  cold.  His 
sister  and  himself  took  it.  Now,  let  me  tell  you  the 
consequence.  When  this  movement  struck  Youngs¬ 
town  he  was  almost  a  hopeless  drunkard,  and  to-day 
the  young  lady,  his  sister,  is  an  inmate  in  the  Inebri¬ 
ate  Asylum  at  Washington.  And,  one  time  in  my 
history,  I  was  passing  the  evening  at  a  friend’s  house 
to  celebrate  the  anniversary  of  his  marriage.  I  sat 
alongside  of  a  young  lady,  and  the  wine  being  passed 
around  X  said  to  her:  ‘You  are  not  going  to  take 
that  wine,  are  you  ?  ’  She  said  she  really  didn’t  see 
how  she  could  refuse;  that  she  must  take  a  little  just 


246 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


out  of  courtesy  for  the  folks.  She  took  one  sup  out 
of  that  glass  of  wine  and  passed  me  the  balance.  I 
drank  twenty-two  glasses  of  wine  before  I  left  that 
house  that  night.  That  glass  of  wine  has  been  part 
and  portion  of  my  suffering.  That  glass  of  wine  has 
caused  that  dear  woman  thousands  of  hours  of  suffer¬ 
ing  and  of  misery  that  no  tongue  can  tell. 

“  To-day  she  would  give  her  right  arm — yes,  her 
life — had  that  glass  of  wine  never  been  passed.  And 
my  dear,  good  young  ladies,  let  me  beseech  you,  in 
God’s  name,  to  be  careful  how  you  pass  a  glass  of 
wine  to  any  young  man.  And  let  me  say  to  you 
men  to-night — all  of  you  that  are  dabbling  with  this 
unclean  thing — let  me  ask  you,  let  me  beseech  you, 
for  the  sake  of  your  wives  and  for  the  sake  of  your 
families,  to  come  up  here  and  sign  this  pledge.’* 
[Applause.] 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

INTERESTING  ADDRESSES. 

Address  of  Mr.  John  King,  one  of  the  Murphy 
men,  in  the  Piqua,  Ohio,  Opera  House,  before  a 
crowded  audience : 

“  It  is  a  good  thing  that  sticks.  Did  you  ever 
hear  that  expression,  any  of  you  ?  I  have  heard  that 
again  and  again  from  men  who  were  thoroughly  con¬ 
vinced  that  the  temperance  movement  was  a  good 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


247 


thing;  that  it  has  been  productive  of  a  great  deal  of 
good,  and  likely  to  do  a  great  deal  more  good.  They 
are  thoroughly  convinced  of  its  importance,  that  it 
is  a  good  work,  and  that  it  has  produced  a  great  deal 
of  peace,  comfort  and  prosperity  in  this  community. 
I  am  of  opinion  that  there  is  not  a  man  within  the 
sound  of  my  voice  who  is  not  convinced  of  the  im¬ 
portance  of  this  thing — fairly  and  squarely  convinced 
that  everybody  ought  to  be  temperate.  There  is  not 
one  who  is  not  convinced  that  drinking  intoxicating 
liquors  is  wrong,  and  that,  unquestionably,  the  oppo¬ 
site  is  right.  A  man — a  good  fellow  and  a  friend  of 
mine — accosted  me  to-day,  and,  said  he,  c  Why  did 
you  make  such  a  fool  of  yourself  as  to  join  this  tem¬ 
perance  movement?’  Said  I,  ‘Excuse  me,  I  don’t 
think  I  acted  the  fool.’  ‘Well,  you  did.’  ‘How?’ 
‘Well,  you  won’t  stick.’  ‘Well,’  said  I,  ‘I  stuck 
to  that  other  thing  pretty  well,  didn’t  I?  [Laughter 
and  applause.]  You  will  not  charge  me  with  not 
sticking  to  that  other  habit?’  ‘Ho;  you  were  a 
pretty  good  drunkard.’  ‘How,’  said  I,  ‘if  I  know 
myself,  I  am  going  to  try  and  ‘stick,’  as  you  call  it, 
and  if  you  think  I  won’t  stick,  I  want  you  to  come 
along  and  be  my  comrade  in  this  matter;  be  along¬ 
side  of  me,  and  when  you  see  me  likely  to  fall,  sup¬ 
port  me  and  make  me  stop.  You  need  it  as  bad  as  I 
do,  or  worse.  You  have  been  drunk  oftener  than  I 
ever  was.’  Just  such  fellows  as  that  will  let  the 
wagon  leave  them  if  they  are  not  careful.  They  talk 
about  not  sticking.  They  say:  ‘I  am  afraid  you 
will  not  stick.’  They  will  wait  until  they  stick  in 


248 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


the  mud  after  awhile,  and  their  wagon  will  leave 
them. 

“Now,  when  any  man  is  convinced  of  the  import¬ 
ance  of  this  matter,  it  is  his  duty  to  come  here  and 
sign  this  pledge,  and  abstain  from  the  use  of  intoxi¬ 
cating  liquors  as  a  beverage.  I  don’t  envy  any  man 
whose  conscience  tells  him  this  thing  is  right,  but 
who  holds  back  and  lets  his  conscience  reproach  him 
every  day  in  the  week.  I  think  a  man  ought  to  act 
according  to  the  dictates  of  his  conscience,  if  he  ex¬ 
pects  to  get  along  in  this  world. 

44  I  don’t  see  why  every  man  in  the  house  don’t 
sign  at  once.-  Every  man  will  tell  you  it  is  wrong  to 
drink  whiskey.  I  talked  that  way  when  I  drank 
whiskey.  Every  man  talks  that  way.  Let  us  all  quit 
it.  T,  by  the  grace  of  God,  will  quit  it.  It  never  did 
me  much  good.  I  know  it  did  me  a  heap  of  harm. 
It  will  do  every  body  harm.  Now,  if  you  are  con¬ 
vinced  of  this  thing,  come  right  along  and  don’t  put 
any  miserable  apology  in  that  4 1  am  waiting  for  a 
fellow  back  here,  and  he  is  coming  here  some  of  these 
nights  and  then  I  will  join.’  You  had  better  say  ‘I 
will  do  this  thing  because  I  believe  it  is  right/  Don’t 
sav  1 1  will  go  if  you  will.’  That  won’t  do.  If  the 
thing  is  right,  do  it.  If  it  is  wrong,  don’t  do  it.  If 
you  are  convinced  it  is  right  to  do  it,  do  it  at  once 
and  then  you  will  have  a  clear  conscience.  I  wish  I 
could  sign  every  night.  I  never  felt  better  in  my  life 
than  I  did  the  night  I  signed  it.  I  am  glad  I  did  it. 
I  came  across  an  old,  broken-down  friend  of  mine  the 
other  morning.  I  said  to  him,  4  You  had  better  come 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


249 


up  to  this  meeting.’  Said  lie,  4  What  do  you  want 
me  up  there  for  ?  Do  you  want  me  to  sign  that 

- !’  using  some  not  very  pleasant  language.  This 

man  said  lie  was  not  going  to  sign  that  pledge.  He 
was  an  old  man  and  I  was  not  acquainted  with  him. 
Said  I,  4  What  is  the  reason  you  won’t?’  Said  he, 

4 1  am  a  free  man,  and  I  am  not  going  to  sign  away 
my  liberty.’  Said  he,  4 1  am  twenty-one  years  of 
age.’  Said  I,  4  I  know  you  are,  and  nearly  three 
times  that.”  4  Well,’  said  he, 4 1  am  not  going  to 
sign  away  my  liberties.  I  am  going  to  run  the  hog 
on  my  own  side  of  the  creek.’  Did  you  ever  hear 
the  like  in  your  life?  A  free  man  !  Free  to  do 
wrong,  did  he  mean  ?  I  am  not  much  of  a  lawyer, 
but  I  am  enough  of  one  to  know  that  nobody  is  free 
to  do  wrong.  Freedom  of  speech  simply  means  that 
a  man  has  got  to  be  responsible  for  what  he  says.  He 
must  talk  in  accordance  to  law,  or  he  is  not  free  even 
to  talk.  There  is  no  signing  away  of  liberty  about 
it ;  it  is  simply  a  reform. 

“  There  is  another  excuse  that  is  made  for  not  join¬ 
ing  this  movement.  Some  men  say,  4 1  would  join, 
only  you  take  in  too  rough  fellows.’  They  are  toney, 
those  kind  of  fellows.  [Laughter  and  applause.]  Did 
that  blessed  Being  who  came  from  the  right  hand  of 
His  father  to  save  sinners  select  from  the  lawyers, 
the  doctors  and  the  merchants  and  the  4  toney  ’  fel¬ 
lows  to  do  His  work  ?  If  I  believed  in  that  thing  I 
would  be  a  Sadducee.  Why,  it  is  the  most  contemp¬ 
tible  thing  in  the  world.  Who  knows  but  some  of 
us  fellows  will  make  great  men  yet?-— I  mean  some 


250 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


of  the  young  men.  I  don't  suppose  I  will  ever  make: 
a  very  great  man.  [Laughter.]  There  is  one  thing 
sure,  though  :  We  will  never  make  great  men  unless 
we  quit  drinking  whiskey.  [‘  You  would  make  great 
drunkards.’]  Yes,  we  might  make  our  mark,  but  the 
mark  would  be  on  our  noses.”  [Laughter.] 


Speech  of  General  Joe  Geiger,  well-known  through¬ 
out  the  West,  and  delivered  recently  before  a  large 
public  gathering : 

“Ladies  and  Gentlemen: — This  is  the  first  time  I 
have  had  the  privilege  of  appearing  in  this  hall  or 
presenting  myself  before  any  audience  in  Cincinnati 
upon  the  temperance  question,  and  when  I  look  about, 
I  feel,  because  of  the  scattered  condition  of  the  audi¬ 
ence  and  everybody  being  strange  to  me,  a  little  like 
the  boy  in  Western  Pennsylvania.  A  gentleman  was 
going  along  and  asked  a  boy  whom  he  met  if  he  knew 
where  Jake  Kleinfelder  lived.  The  boy  said  he  did, 
and  the  stranger  asked  him  to  give  him  the  necessary 
directions  to  find  the  house.  4  Well/  said  the  boy, 

4  you  see  our  barn  down  there  ?  well,  you  go  to  that 
and  then  you  go  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  beyond, 
where  you  come  to  a  lane.  You  take  that  lane  for 
about  a  mile  and  a-half,  and  then  you  come  to  a 
branch.  You  follow  that  branch  for  a  quarter  of  a 
mile,  when  you  come  to  a  slippery-elm  log,  and  you 
look  out  for  that  log,  stranger,  for  it’s  a  three-cornered 
log.  You  go  on  about  a  mile  further,  and  then  you 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


251 


come  to  a  plum  thicket,  and  then,  and  then,  stran¬ 
ger - ’ 

* 

“  ‘And  then,  what?’  demanded  the  traveller. 

“  1  W ell,  then,  stranger,5  said  the  boy,  scratching  his 
head,  4  then  I’m  blamed  if  you  ain’t  lost.’  [Laugh¬ 
ter.]  I  feel  pretty  much  as  if  I  was  lost  here  in  the 
same  way  to-night,  without  a  single  familiar  face 
before  me.  There  is  satisfaction,  however,  in  the 
thought  that  we  are  all  engaged  in  the  same  enter- 
prize.  Daniel  Webster  once  said  that  the  people  of 
the  United  States  had  one  country,  one  constitution^ 
one  destiny  ;  and  if  we  are  to  succeed  in  this  enter¬ 
prise  we  must  be  united,  as  I  think  we  are,  and  have 
but  one  purpose.  We  must  give  it  all  our  influence 
to  bring  it  to  perfection.  Many  persons  we  talk  to 
on  this  question  say  they  have  no  influence  and  it  is 
no  use  for  them  to  try  to  do  anything.  Now,  when 
a  man  comes  to  the  point  of  saying  he  has  no  influ¬ 
ence,  the  sooner  he  pegs  out  the  better.  He  is  of  no 
use  in  the  world,  he  is  a  mere  incubus.  And  yet 
if  you  tell  such  a  man  he  has  no  influence  he  will  get 
mad  at  you  and  denounce  you.  Every  man  has  in¬ 
fluence.  The  human  mind,  like  the  earth,  will  pro¬ 
duce  something.  The  earth  will  produce  trees  and 
fruit  and  cereals,  or  briers  and  weeds  and  mullein 
stalks,  and  the  products  of  the  human  mind  may  be 
either  valuable  or  worthless.  We  want  you  to  en¬ 
gage  in  the  right,  to  go  with  us  in  this  cause.  We 
want  a  general  consolidation  of  our  people  for  the 
furthering  of  our  cause.  The  Union  will  not  be  per¬ 
fect  unless  all  classes  are  identified  with  it,  for  every- 


252 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


thing  grand  in  moral  or  physical  success  depends 
upon  union.  Once  the  earth  was  parched  and  blis- 
tered,  and  scorched  by  the  heat  of  the  sun.  The 
rivulets  were  dry,  the  grass  was  brown,  the  leaves 
were  shriveled  and  the  cattle  were  famishing.  Little 
particles  of  moisture  hung  in  the  air,  all  holding  back 
and  saying  to  themselves  that  they  could  do  nothing. 
But  the  lightning  went  tearing  through  the  clouds, 
and  these  particles  were  brought  together,  forming 
globules,  the  rain  descended,  the  grass  and  the  leaves 
revived,  the  streams  ran  bank-full  and  all  nature  was 
glad  and  blooming. 

“  It  is  so  in  this  movement.  W e  are  all  small  par¬ 
ticles,  but  combined  we  are  a  power  for  the  accom¬ 
plishment  of  this  Christian  and  benevolent  enterprise. 
We  want  you  all.  A  man  was  once  riding  through 
the  wilderness,  when  he  was  beset  by  wolves.  He 
urged  his  horse  on,  but  still  the  wolves  came  nearer 
and  nearer.  In  his  agony  of  fear  he  cried  out  to  his 
nearest  neighbor:  6  Billy  Jenkins!  Billy  Jenkins, 
come  and  save  me.’  He  received  no  reply,  and  the 
wolves  gaining  upon  him  at  every  bound,  the  dis¬ 
tressed  traveler  cried,  4  Ho !  everybody,  come  and 
save  me.’ 

44  So  we  cry  to  you  to  help  to  advance  this  great 
moral  reform.  We  call  particularly  for  the  lost  and 
the  destitute;  we  call  for  the  drunkard  ;  we  call  for 
the  loafer ;  we  call  for  the  thief ;  we  call  for  the  crimi¬ 
nal.  We  go  down  to  the  lowest  dregs  of  society. 
We  want  to  shelter  the  lazzaroni,  to  take  care  of  the 
destitute.  We  are  going  after  the  lost  sheep.  Christ 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


253 


came  to  save  sinners,  not  the  righteous.  The  trouble 
is  some  men  have  no  practical  belief  in  the  practical 
doctrines  of  Christ,  and  go  stumbling  about  in  their 
blindness  to  the  truths  of  the  Bible,  doing  no  good 
to  anybody.  When  we  reach  down  and  try  to  snatch 
from  the  jaws  of  hell  men  who  are  plunged  into 
almost  irretrievable  ruin,  and  to  bear  them  back  on 
the  wings  of  love  to  the  throne  of  the  Father,  we 
meet  with  opposition  ;  opposition  to  the  advancement 
of  humanity ;  opposition  from  the  high-toned,  nega¬ 
tive  opposition  from  the  leaders  in  your  churches, 
and  sneers  from  the  lofty  and  learned.  You  have 
plenty  of  good  church-goers  who  would  not  aid  a 
fallen  brother,  because  they  think  it  would  be  de¬ 
grading  to  their  high  natures.  Many  of  them  are 
ministering  at  the  altar,  and  when  it  comes  down  to 
a  practical  effort  to  rescue  a  man  who  is  absolutely 
going  down  pell  mell  to  destruction,  they  pull  their 
sacred  garments  about  them  and  thank  God  that  they 
are  not  like  other  men.  [Applause.]  This  doctrine 
was  put  forth  long  ago,  and  it  has  come  down  to  us 
through  many  generations.  The  meanest  and  most 
malignant  man  referred  to  in  sacred  history  is  Cain. 
He  was  a  bold,  bad  liar,  and  when  he  had  slain  his 
brother,  the  Almighty  called  upon  him  to  come  forth 
from  the  bushes.  He  was  asked  where  his  brother 
was,  and  replied:  ‘I  know  not;  am  I  my  brother’s 
keeper?’  How  that  expression  has  run  along 
through  the  generations  of  man  from  that  time  to 
this?  How  it  has  comforted  the  heartless;  how  it 
has  soothed  the  hypocritical  Christian  ;  how  it  has 


254 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


been  the  excuse  of  the  mean  and  designing — 4  I  am 
not  my  brother’s  keeper!’  Christ  came  to  redeem 
sinners,  to  raise  them  up,  and  give  them  a  chance. 
He  didn’t  teach  the  doctrine,  'I  am  not  my  brother’s 
keeper.’  How,  will  you  adopt  the  words  of  the  mur¬ 
derer  Cain,  or  will  you  strive,  with  Christ’s  example 
before  you,  to  help  to  raise  the  fallen  ?  I  believe 
you  will  take  up  this  cause  and  carry  it  triumphantly 
through.  You  are  a  little  weak  down  here  yet,  but 
I  believe  you  will  soon  come  up  to  the  standard.  In 
Columbus  we  did. 

“A  fellow  asked  me  some  time  ago  whether  we, 
who  have  taken  an  interest  in  this  movement,  would 
4  stick.’  I  told  him  of  course  we  would.  You  re¬ 
member  the  story  of  the  man  who  had  but  a  slight 
acquaintance  of  postage-stamps,  and  on  putting  one 
on  a  letter  wrote  above  it,  ‘Good,  if  the  thing  sticks.’ 
Well,  that’s  just  our  case.  We’re  good  if  we  stick, 
and  stick  I  know  we  will.  We  are  going  to  stick  in 
the  interest  of  our  physical,  our  domestic  and  our 
financial  health,  and  we  propose  to  conduct  this 
movement  without  appeals  to  the  authorities.  We 
don’t  even  propose  to  adopt  the  rather  ingenious  plan 
of  Mr.  Herrick  for  breaking  up  the  saloons  of  Circle- 
ville.  The  grand  jury  up  there  came  to  the  conclu¬ 
sion  once  that  they  would  try  to  put  a  stop  to  the 
sale  of  liquor,  and  called  Herrick  in  one  morning  as 
a  witness.  He  was  asked  if  he  had  drank  at  any  of 
the  so-called  groceries  in  town  that  morning,  and 
answered  that  he  had  at  all  of  them.  4  What  did  you 
drink?’  was  the  next  question.  ‘Gin,’  was  Her- 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


255 


rick’s  reply.  ‘  Did  you  pay  for  it  ’  he  was  asked. 
‘I  did  not,’  was  his  response.  ‘Do  you  intend  to 
pay  for  it?’  followed  up  the  foreman  of  the  jury. 
‘No,’  said  Herrick,  ‘I  do  not;  I  see  what  you 
brought  me  here  for,  and  I  tell  you  if  everybody 
adopts  my  plan  of  drinking  up  their  liquor  and  not 
paying  for  it,  the  saloons  will  be  closed  up  a  good 
deal  quicker  than  the  grand  jury  can  shut  them  up.’ 

“  No,”  said  the  General,  "we  don’t  propose  to  close 
the  whiskey  shops  up  that  way.  We  have  another 
plan.  We  think  if  we  take  the  calves  away  and 
quit  milking,  the  cows  will  go  dry.”  [Laughter  and 
applause.] 


On  the  same  occasion  as  the  foregoing,  Elijah  De¬ 
laney,  of  peculiar  singing  qualities,  and  somewhat 
attractive  character,  was  called  on  for  a  song ;  where¬ 
upon  he  essayed  a  stage  effort  and  said  : 

“  Ladies  and  Gentlemen  : — Very  unexpectedly  I 
am  called  on  to-night  to  sing.  I  have  been  accosted 
two  or  three  times  to-day  about  being  a  ‘Murphy 
boy.’  They  undertake  to  charge  Mr.  Murphy  with 
not  being  very  much  of  a  reformer.  They  say  he 
has  been  a  bad  man.  Well,  about  that,  I  have  come 
to  the  conclusion  that  old  Aunt  Dolly  did,  when  her 
old  Massa  told  her  that  if  she  didn’t  work  she  couldn’t 
have  any  bread.  She  said  it  didn’t  make  any  differ¬ 
ence.  Her  bread  should  be  given,  and  her  water 
would  be  sure ;  that  her  Heavenly  Father  would  give 
it  to  her.  Her  Massa  told  her  just  to  wait  and  see 


* 


256 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


whether  she  would  get  it  or  not.  He  didn’t  believe 
her  Heavenly  Father  would  give  her  much.  At 
night,  when  Aunt  Holly  went  to  prayer,  some  mis¬ 
chievous  boys  took  some  bread  and  threw  it  into  her 
cabin  through  the  roof.  When  she  came  back  and 
saw  the  bread  she  rejoiced,  thinking  the  Lord  had 
sent  it.  Then  the  boys  came  and  told  her  1  The 
Lord  didn’t  send  that  bread  to  you.  We  threw  it 
down  through  the  roof.’  Said  she,  4  I  don’t  care. 
It’s  God’s  bread,  even  if  the  devil  fetches  it.’” 
[Laughter  and  applause.] 

Then  came  the  song  : 

BROTHER  LIGE’s  SONG. 

“  ‘  Brudders  don’t  you  want  to  be  dar  ? 

Yes,  my  Lord. 

A  sitting  in  de  kingdom, 

To  bear  Jordan  roll. 

Chorus— Roll,  Jordan,  roll, 

Roll,  Jordan,  roll. 

I  want  to  go  to  heaven  when  I  die, 
To  hear  Jordan  roll.’  ” 

[Applause.] 

Several  more  verses  were  rolled  off  by  the  brother, 
assisted  by  four  young  colored  gentlemen.  The  suc¬ 
cess  of  this  song  was  pronounced,  and  it  will  perhaps 
*  be  inferred,  from  the  sample  verse  given  above,  that 
it  was  more  appreciated  for  its  melody  (which  must 
be  left  to  the  imagination  of  the  reader)  than  for  its 
verbiage.. 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


257 


Remarks  of  Thomas  O’Neil,  a  well-known  brewer 
of  Philadelphia,  who  was  converted  to  total  absti¬ 
nence  under  Mr.  Murphy’s  efforts,  a  short  time  since. 
This  brief  address  was  delivered  in  the  Temperance 
Tabernacle,  in  said  city,  and  in  the  presence  of  a  large 
meeting  : 

44  I  feel  very  much  like  an  old  Methodist  preacher 
who  was  very  popular  in  this  city  some  years  ago. 
When  he  got  filled  up,  and  couldn’t  very  well  con¬ 
tain  himself,  he  sung,  4  Hallelujah,  hallelujah,  the 
Lord  God  omnipotent  reigneth.’  lie  has  been  known 
to  jump  over  the  pulpit  when  he  got  into  those  en¬ 
thusiastic  strains.  I  do  not  know  but  I  feel  like 
jumping  myself.  I  think  I  hear  a  man  down  there 
say,  ‘That  is  Tommy  O’Neil.’  Yes,  that  is  Tommy 
O’Neil.  But  it  is  not  the  Tommy  O’Neil  you  met 
down  at  Lambert’s  the  other  day,  or  at  the  La  Pierre. 
It  is  another  man  altogether.  [Murphy — “Thank  God 
for  that.”]  The  man  you  met  at  those  places  was  a 
fool,  a  lunatic.  The  man  you  see  here  now,  is  sane. 
He  has  been  brought  from  darkness  into  light,  and 
from  the  power  of  Satan  into  the  service  of  the  living 
God.  And  through  whom,  let  me  tell  you,  there  is 
not  a  more  popular  fellow  in  the  city  of  Philadelphia 
than  Tommy  O’Neil.  [Great  and  continued  applause.] 
I  am  sure  you  would  all  keep  quiet  if  you  knew  who 
this  was.  It  is  the  first  attempt  I  ever  made  in  my 
life  to  make  a  speech.  I  want  to  tell  you  who  the 
fellow  is  that  is  speaking.  This  is  his  card.  It  com¬ 
mences  ‘Thomas  O’Neil,’  and  right  underneath,  in 
small  italics,  is  printed  4  O’Neil  and  Company,  Brew- 

17 


258 


THE  TRUE  PAT-H. 


ers.’  Why,  sir!  you  don’t  know  what  kind  of  a 
man  you  have  got.  You  have  captured  a  brewer. 
[Mr.  Murphy — “I  will  shake  hands  with  you  for 
that.”  Shakes  hands.  Applause.  Mr.  Murphy — 
“Let  us  hear  the  rest  of  this  man’s  speech,  so  that  we 
can  understand  what  position  he  has  occupied,  and, 
by  the  blessing  of  God,  what  he  intends  in  the  fu¬ 
ture.”]  I  think  that  is  about  all  there  is  to  say. 
Are  you  satisfied?  I  was  a  brewer  in  the  city  of 
Philadelphia  ;  and,  I  presume,  the  only  Irishman  that 
ever  attempted  anything  of  the  kind  in  this  city.  I 
am  happy  to  say  I  have  abandoned  the  business.  I 
did  not  like  it,  and  it  did  not  like  me.  I  lost  all  that 
I  had  in  it,  and  I  believe  that  it  was  the  province  of 
God  that  I  should  lose  it.” 


EXTRACT  FROM  SPEECH  OF  MR.  THOS.  H.  LEABOURX, 

A  REFORMER. 

“  This  country  has  awakened  to  this  great  issue; 
and  this  great  movement  is  progressing  from  one  end 
of  the  land  to  the  other.  Day  after  day,  and  night 
after  night  committees  are  coming,  from  many  States, 
and  asking  Mr.  Murphy  to  send  speakers  to  aid  them 
in  the  great  cause.  But  we  are  going  first  to  awaken 
thoroughly  the  city  of  ‘  Brotherly  Love,’  the  great 
Centennial  city  of  the  Union,  where  Independence 
was  first  proclaimed,  where  the  old  bell  first  pro¬ 
claimed  liberty  through  the  land.  [Mr.  Murphy — 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


259 


u  Ring  it  again.”]  When  we  get  all  to  sign  and 
become  decent  men,  then  we  will  make  the  sound  of 
the  glad  tidings  to  go  forth  into  other  lands.  Every 
man  who  has  any  regard  for  his  own  honor  and  that 
of  his  family  must  sign  this  temperance  pledge.  I 
feel  it  was  the  grandest  day  in  my  life  when  I  at¬ 
tached  my  name  to  it.  I  followed  King  Alcohol  too 
long.  When  I  commenced  to  drink  I  was  far  better 
off  than  I  am  to-night,  I  had  an  honest  name  and 
character,  and  I  could  look  every  honest  man  in  the 
face.” 


AN  IMPORTANT  DEPARTURE. 

Ex-Judge  George  M.  Curtis,  of  New  York,  a  crimi¬ 
nal  lawyer,  recently  before  the  public  as  counsel  for 
Joe  Coeburn,  has  joined  the  temperance  movement, 
and  said : 

“I  have  become  quite  satisfied,  from  my  long  ac¬ 
quaintance  with  all  classes  of  men,  politicians,  jour¬ 
nalists,  merchants  and  others,  that  the  demon  rum 
means  moral,  physical  and  financial  bankruptcy  to 
its  victims.  There  is  no  escaping  this  fact;  it  is  at 
the  bottom  of  all  evil,  it  is  the  one  great  intolerable 
curse  in  all  grades  of  society  ;  its  powerful  seductions, 
awful  powers,  its  relentless  persecution  of  its  devotees, 
its  ultimate,  often  deferred,  but  inevitable  result  are 
clear  to  me,  and  shall  be  clear  to  all  whom  my  warn¬ 
ing  voice  can  reach,  to  all  who  are  not  yet  already 
deaf  to  reason,  lost  to  feeling,  or  blind  to  facts.” 


260 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


Mr.  Curtis  spoke  with  visible  earnestness,  his  eyes 
sparkled  with  enthusiasm,  and  his  whole  frame 
quivered  with  emotion.  This  new  departure  into 
the  total  prohibition  camp  is  a  great  surprise  to  Mr* 
Curtis’  friends  and  political  associates. 


CHAPTER  XXI  Y. 

SKETCH  OF  MISS  FRANCES  E.  WILLARD. 

A  few  words,  in  reference  to  a  lady  who  has  en¬ 
gaged  a  large  share  of  public  attention  during  the 
past  year  or  two,  appear  to  be  called  for  in  this  con¬ 
nection.  Miss  Frances  E.  Willard,  of  Chicago,  has 
evidently  been  raised  up,  under  God,  for  a  great 
work  in  the  interest  of  the  fallen.  She  has  come  to 
the  surface,  as  have  many  others,  not  knowing  the 
extent  of  the  ground  she  would  find  it  necessary  to 
occupy.  Having  been  prepared  for  the  work  of  a 
school  teacher,  when  the  proper  time  came,  she  en¬ 
tered  upon  her  duties  with  the  purpose  of  contribu¬ 
ting  her  share  in  rendering  the  declining  years  of 
her  aged  mother  as  easeful  as  possible.  While  in 
this  calling  she  became  distinguished  in  her  church, 
at  home,  both  as  a  worker  and  speaker.  It  was  evi¬ 
dent  that  she  was  endowed  with  superior  abilities. 
Her  remarks  were  always  forcible  and  reasonable, 
and  often  rose  to  the  full  character  of  eloquence.  In 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


261 


this  way  she  became  known  as  a  valuable  assistant, 
wherever,  in  the  work  of  God,  her  sex  did  not  inter¬ 
fere  with  her  presence  before  an  audience. 

JOINED  THE  WOMAN’S  TEMPERANCE  UNION. 

Having  had  occasion  at  one  time  to  visit  the  city 
of  Pittsburg,  during  the  active  operations  of  the 
Women’s  Temperance  Union  there,  she  became 
deeply  interested  in  the  subject  of  reform  as  promul¬ 
gated  by  that  organization,  and  enrolled  her  name 
with  it.  Subsequently,  she  took  part  with  those  who 
visited  taverns  and  saloons,  and  held  prayer  in  them. 
In  this  way  her  mind  and  heart  were  directed  along 
the  important  paths  of  Temperance.  She  was  con¬ 
vinced  that  she  could  honor  her  Divine  Master  more 
in  that  cause  than  in  any  other  field  of  activity.  She 
preferred,  and  fully  selected  it. 

SENT  FOR  BY  MR.  MOODY. 

After  her  return  to  her  home,  and  during  the  suc¬ 
cessful  labors  of  Messrs.  Moody  and  Sankey  in 
Boston,  a  cry  came  up  from  the  coasts  of  New  Eng¬ 
land,  reaching  to  the  Great  Lake  City  of  the  West, 
“  Comj  over  and  help  us.”  In  other  words,  Mr. 
Moody  sent  all  the  way  to  Chicago  for  a  lady  of  deep 
piety,  and  zealousness  and  magnetism  of  character — 
one  adapted  to  public  work — to  come  among  the 
mothers,  wives,  sisters  and  daughters  of  New  Eng¬ 
land,  and  act  as  a  leader.  It  was  Mr.  Moody’s 


262 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


opinion  that  the  women  of  the  North  were  as  a  dry 
and  well-prepared  magazine,  upon  the  subject  of 
temperance,  wanting  only  ignition  ;  that  some  devo¬ 
ted  and  able  member  of  the  Women’s  Temperance 
Union  of  the  West,  with  the  torch  in  hand,  could 
make  havoc  among  the  forces  of  King  Alcohol,  and 
his  miserable  vassal  and  dupe,  King  Gambrinus. 

A  CHOSEN  VESSEL. 

Miss  Willard  was  chosen.  And  in  due  course  of 
time  she  was  enabled  to  call  together  audiences  of 
three  thousand  people,  and  to  see  many  persons 
turned  away  for  want  of  accommodation.  She  was 
admitted  to  be  a  chosen  vessel,  at  once  honored  of 
men,  because  called  and  honored  of  God. 

The  addresses  of  Miss  Willard  were  remarkably 
entertaining  and  effective — always  abounding  in  in¬ 
struction.  And  when  speaking  upon  the  subject  of 
intemperance,  she  warmed  into  a  life  and  power  that 
frequently  struck,  with  great  force,  the  very  deepest 
chords  of  feeling.  Women  gathered  about  her,  to 
strengthen  her  hands,  who  had  suffered  from  intem¬ 
perance,  and  whose  influence  was  but  fuel  for  the 
latent  fire  that  burned  continually  within  the  bosom 
of  our  heroine.  The  sympathies  of  her  whole  nature 
ran  out  to  the  drunkard  and  his  family. 

HER  APPEARANCE,  ETC. 

The  appearance  of  Miss  Willard  commended  her 
also  greatly  to  her  hearers.  She  is  somewhat  slender 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


263 


of  form,  has  a  countenance  indicating  great  kindness; 
a  bright,  steady  eye,  which  is  generally  shielded  by 
glasses  ;  the  Grecian  type  of  features,  brown  hair, 
and,  altogether,  a  tidy  and  winsome  presence.  Ad¬ 
ded  to  all  this,  is  that  noblest  of  woman’s  embellish¬ 
ments,  modesty — which  is  apparent  both  in  her  man¬ 
ner  and  subject. 

All  her  appeals  have  been  founded  upon,  and 
mixed  with,  Scripture  truths.  She  constantly  has 
kept  the  eyes  of  her  mind  upon  the  Cross,  as  the 
sure  and  only  safe  direction  for  every  creature  de¬ 
graded  by  his  appetite. 

Through  this  young  woman’s  instruction,  hun¬ 
dreds  have  been  qualified  for  work,  and  sent  forth 
against  Rum,  Debauchery,  Profanity,  and  Satan. 


The  following  address  was  delivered  by  Miss  Wil¬ 
lard,  at  a  Sunday  Morning  Breakfast,  given  by  the 
Francis  Murphy  Committee,  in  the  x\nnex  to  the 
Academy  of  Fine  Arts,  in  Philadelphia,  just  before 
the  temporary  close  of  the  continuous  meetings : 

“  ¥e  have  caused  to  ascend  with  our  prayers  the 
hymn  4  I  need  thee  every  hour,’  and  I  wish  the  re¬ 
sponse  to  that  in  your  hearts  might  be,  4  0,  bless  me 
now,  my  Saviour!  I  come  to  thee.’  That  is  our 
part,  4 1  come  to  thee.’  Your  heart  and  my  heart 
are  citadels  the  king  of  kings  and  lord  of  lords  can¬ 
not  force  open.  Our  hearts  are  like  the  Englishman’s 
cottage  into  which  Her  Majesty  cannot  enter  without 


264 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


permission.  We  are  either  saying  to  Jesus,  ‘Enter 
thou,  if  thou  dost  love  me,’  Or  we  are  saying,  ‘Stay 
without,  with  thy  locks  wet  with  the  dews  of  many  a 
night  waiting  and  watching  over  me.’  Every  one  of 
us  is  in  one  of  these  two  states  of  mind.  Ask  your¬ 
self  in  which  of  these  two  states  of  mind  am  I  ?  Am 
I  saying,  enter  thou  Lord,  or  am  I  saying,  stay  out¬ 
side,  0  Lord. 


BREAD  WITH  ONE  HAND. 

“I  cannot  tell  when  I  have  been  so  happy  as  I  have 
been  here  this  morning.  The  praise  of  these  meet¬ 
ings  has  been  re-echoed  by  many  a  heart.  Christian 
friends  have  spread  the  table  to  satisfy  the  earthly 
need  as  well  as  to  satisfy  the  heavenly  thirst.  We 
must  give  the  bread  of  life  with  one  hand  and  the 
New  Testament  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  with  the 
other.  Christ  rather  than  see  the  most  repulsive 
beggar  go  hungry  would  perform  a  miracle,  though 
he  never  would  perform  a  miracle  for  himself.  He 
had  compassion  on  physical  suffering  and  on  diseased 
souls,  and  we  are  all  alike  when  it  comes  to  that,  we 
all  have  a  like  need  of  him. 

TEMPTATION. 

“  My  life  has  been  hedged  about  by  safe-guards  as 
your  lives,  dear  brothers,  have  been  hedged  about  by 
temptations.  I  have  the  quiet  and  sweet  influences 
of  home  where  you  have  been  battling  with  tempta- 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


265 


tion  in  the  streets,  and  running  the  gauntlet  of  the 
rum-shops,  and  met  often  without  one  kind  word,  and 
you  have  thought  without  any  one  caring  whether 
you  were  successful  or  not.  You  do  not  know  how 
people  did  care,  but  in  those  days  people  did  not  get 
into  line  and  tell  you  of  it  as  they  do  now-a-days; 
they  did  not  tell  you  that  we  are  all  tied  together  by 
a  common  humanity.  My  temptations  may  be  on  a 
different  line  from  yours,  but  they  are  still  tempta¬ 
tions,  and  nobody  can  know  of  them  except  God  who 
came  to  reconcile  me  to  Himself. 

BE  HEALED  BY  THE  DIVINE  TOUCH. 

“  So  when  I  stand  here  this  morning  and  speak  to 
you  of  Christ,  I  am  speaking  of  one  in  whom  I  did 
not  once  believe,  and  perhaps  you  do  not  this  morn¬ 
ing.  Many  of  you  have  been  reared  in  Christian 
homes,  and  have  heard  this  Bible  read  and  have  been 
taught  that  little  prayer  which  has  lain  away  in  your 
memories : 


“  ‘  Now  I  lay  me  down  to  sleep, 

I  pray  the  Lord  my  soul  to  keep.’ 

“  Oh,  let  that  be  the  voice  of  vour  heart  this  morn- 
ing.  Pray  to  the  Lord  to  keep  your  soul,  and  He  will 
keep  it  as  well  as  He  will  keep  that  of  a  little  child. 
Consider  whether  you  will  be  satisfied  with  having 
your  hunger  satisfied  for  an  hour  and  leaving  the 
divine  hunger  in  your  souls  remain  unassuaged  for- 


266 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


ever  and  ever.  Is  it  best  to  help  a  man  for  a  little 
while,  or  to  give  him  such  strength  that  he  will  help 
himself  forever  and  ever?  It  is  much  better  to  hold 
up  Christ  to  them  than  it  is  to  give  them  bread  and 
stopthere.  It  is  better  to  heal  a  man’s  broken  arm 
by  a  divine  touch  than  it  is  to  put  it  into  a  sling.  It 
is  a  kind  action  to  put  it  into  a  sling,  but  if  you  have 
the  power  to  touch  that  arm  and  make  it  well,  would 
not  that  be  better.  It  is  just  so  with  human  souls.  It 
is  better  that  they  should  be  healed  by  the  divine 
touch  than  to  stop  after  relieving  their  temporal 
wants. 

doesn’t  know  he  has  the  appetite. 

“  I  never  saw  in  an  audience  more  kindly  thoughttul 
faces  than  I  see  here  this  morning,  and  I  pray  to  God 
that  in  the  brotherhood  of  Christ  we  may  come  into 
the  liberty  wherewith  Christ  has  made  ns  free.  He 
says,  c  Whosoever  committeth  sin  is  the  servant  of 
sin.’  Don’t  you  know  that  well  enough?  He  is  a 
servant  bowed  down  with  a  pack  on  his  back  so  long 
as  he  serves  sin,  but  when  Christ  makes  a  man  free 
he  is  free  indeed.  Some  people  say  of  a  man  who 
has  drank  for  many  years,  1  He  has  drank  so  long 
that  his  nerve's  have  become  diseased  ;  you  need  not 
talk  to  me  about  this  being  cured,  it  is  impossible  to 
cure  him  because  he  still  has  an  appetite  for  drink.’ 

I  do  not  read  in  the  Bible  that  when  Daniel  was 
thrown  into  the  lion’s  den  their  teeth  were  extracted, 
but  that  they  did  not  bite  him.  I  simply  know  that 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


267 


when  a  drinking  man  takes  Christ  for  his  saviour, 
drink  does  not  tempt  him  any  more.  He  does  not  know 
that  he  has  got  the  appetite,  and  that  is  just  as  well 
as  if  he  did  not  have  it.  He  will  never  know  he  has 
it  so  long  as  he  holds  to  the  loving  hand  of  Jesus. 
He  came  on  purpose  to  keep  us  out  of  dangers  and 
difficulties. 


THE  PRESCRIPTION. 

“  I  saw  a  man  stand  up  in  the  Tabernacle  in  Boston,, 
he  was  a  man  from  Canada  who  had  been  under  this 
power  all  his  life.  He  was  a  noble,  kind-hearted  fel¬ 
low,  but  he  had  the  trade-mark  of  the  drink-demon 
branded  upon  his  face.  He  had  been  a  drinking 
man  for  more  than  thirty  years.  He  said,  ‘In  my 
pocket  next  my  heart  I  have  carried  my  whiskey 
flask  many  and  many  a  year,  but  I  have  now  turned 
it  out  and  put  into  its  place  a  New  Testament.’  That 
is  a  prescription  I  want  to  give  to  any  others  who  are 
in  the  same  bondage.  Christ  says :  4  If  any  man  thirst, 
let  him  come  unto  me  and  drink.’ 

VISIT  TO  PITTSBURG. 

“  Dear  old  Pittsburg  has  such  a  regard  in  Brother 
Murphy’s  work.  I  think  how  I  looked  out  on  those 
vast  crowds  last  February  and  heard  them  sing : 

“‘I  hear  Thy  welcome  voice, 

That  calls  me,  Lord,  to  Thee, 

For  cleansing  in  Thy  precious  blood 
That  flowed  on  Calvary.’ 


268 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


“  I  thought  what  a  reanimation  of  dry  branches 
there  was  when  I  heard  the  chorus : 

“  ‘  I  am  coming,  Lord  ! 

Coming  now  to  Thee  ! 

Wash  me,  cleanse  me  in  Thy  blood 
That  flowed  on  Calvary.’ 

“And  I  remembered  how  three  years  earlier — four 
years  it  is  now— I,  a  quiet  Western  school  teacher, 
came  to  Pittsburg  because  I  was  so  interested  in  this 
movement.  I  had  never  cared  for  it  before,  but  I 
saw  it  was  my  duty  from  that  time  forth  to  let  alone 
the  products  of  the  brewery,  the  vineyard  and  the 
still.  And  I  gave  my  help  to  the  cause  of  temper¬ 
ance  because  I  wanted  to  help  humanity.  I  am  not 
talking  to  you  a  theory,  but  of  something  practical 
that  came  to  me  in  hours  of  pain  and  danger,  when  I 
thought  I  should  not  live  till  morning.  It  came  to 
me  to  say :  1  Oh,  God,  I  have  heard  about  thy  laws, 
but  I  have  never  cared  for  thee,  but  let  me  be  strong 
and  I  will  give  my  life  to  thee,  I  will  do  just  what 
you  tell  me.’  And  there  came  peace  to  my  heart 
that  came  straight  from  the  God  of  Heaven.  Every 
one  can  get  this  peace  from  heaven  that  desires  it. 

WHAT  A  SCENE. 

“I  went  to  Pittsburg  when  this  temperance  move¬ 
ment  began.  It  seems  curious  to  me  now  that  I 
should  go  there  to  learn  about  the  crusades.  There 
I  met  thirty  women  going  to  a  saloon,  I  wanted  to 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


269 


be  in  the  midst  of  them.  A  school  teacher  said  to 
me,  4  Go  with  me,  we  are  both  of  us  school  marms. 
We  went  down  Market  street,  and  we  stopped  before 
a  saloon  ;  one  of  the  women  said,  4  We  are  going  to 
have  Mrs.  So-and-so,  pray  here  pointing  out  a  gray 
haired  woman,  4  because  through  that  door  her  boy 
walked  to  the  pit  of  perdition.  After  learning  to 
drink  in  that  place  he  never  was  a  man  again,  he 
never  comforted  her  heart  or  home  ;  he  has  gone  to 
ruin.  Now  his  mother  is  going  there  to  pray.’  Oh, 
what  a  scene  it  was.  As  men  passed  along  the  streets 
they  took  their  hats  off,  even  the  newsboys  stood 
there  with  sober  faces.  There  gathered  around  us  a 
packed  crowd  of  men  and  boys  all  standing  with  their 
hats  off  as  prayers  were  said.  I  wanted  to  pray  for 
these  men,  and  my  heart  went  out  to  God  for  them 
in  that  old  Pittsburg  Saloon.  Then  we  sang, 

“  ‘  Jesus,  the  water  of  life  wTill  give, 

Freely,  freely,  freely.’  - 

44  Some  of  those  young  men  seemed  to  know  the 
hymn  and  their  voices  joined  in  with  ours.  This  was 
but  the  beginning  of  a  better  day  ;  this  is  the  better 
day.  This  is  the  day  when  young  men  and  maidens 
are  thinking  how  they  can  help  along  the  cause  of 
Christian  temperance. 

44  WHAT  THINK  YE  OF  CHRIST?” 

u  I  leave  this  question  for  you  to  take  home  with 
you;  what  think  ye  of  Christ?  Christ  asks  it  him- 


270 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


self.  He  does  not  want  you  to  think  of  him  in  any 
way ;  he  tells  us  just  how  to  think  of  him.  He  does 
not  want  you  to  think  for  other  folks,  that  he  came 
to  do  great  good  upon  the  earth.  He  said  :  ‘  If  the 
son  shall  make  you  free,  ye  shall  be  free  indeed.’  4  If 
I  be  lifted  up  I  shall  draw  all  men  unto  me.’  4  This 
is  the  record  that  God  hath  given  to  us  eternal  life, 
and  this  life  is  in  His  Son.’ 

“  In  the  days  of  Napoleon  there  was  a  grand  review 
held  in  Paris,  the  different  regiments  were  out  in 
their  holiday  attire  and  Napoleon  was  seated  upon 
his  splended  charger,  as  he  looked  around  upon  his 
soldiers  he  carelessly  dropped  his  reins;  the  charger 
bounded  away,  when,  out  from  the  ranks,  sprang  a 
tall  grenadier,  and  throwing  himself  in  front  of  the 
horse  he  seized  the  reins  and  presented  them  to  the 
Emperor.  Napoleon  said,  ‘thank  you,  captain.’  The 
man  was  nothing  but  a  private  before,  but  the 
Emperor  said,  ‘  thank  you  captain.’  The  man  said,  ‘  of 
what  regiment.’  The  Emperor  said  4  of  my  own 
guards/  and  leaving  the  man  standing  there  he  went 
on.  If  this  man  had  been  like  some  of  us  toward  the 
great  captain  of  our  salvation  he  would  have  said, 

‘  the  Emperor  will  forget  about  it/  or  4  he  did  not 
mean  it,’  or  4  there  must  be  some  mistake,’  and  he 
would  have  gone  back  and  taken  his  place  in  the 
regiment.  Instead  of  this  he  laid  his  gun  down  and 
said,  ‘anybody  can  pick  that  up  that  has  a  mind  to, 
I  am  a  captain.’  Then  he  walked  over  to  where 
the  generals  were  standing.  They  said :  ‘  Fellow 
what  do  you  want?  your  place  is  in  the  line/  He 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


271 


replied  :  ‘  I  am  a  captain  in  the  Emperor’s  guards.’ 
They  then  began  to  be  respectful  and  they  asked  him, 
4  how  do  you  know?’  ‘  he  says  I  am,’  the  man  re¬ 
plied.  He  had  not  any  of  the  outward  signs  on  him  ; 
he  took  the  Emperor’s  word  ;  simply,  that,  and  noth¬ 
ing  more.  Shall  you  and  I  do  that  this  morning? 
Shall  we  not  receive  Christ  into  our  hearts?  The 
moment  you  give  your  heart  to  Christ  he  takes  it. 
Let  your  next  breath  be  a  breath  of  faith,  and  your 
next  pulse  be  a  pulse  of  faith.  God  cannot  lie,  his 
promises  are  true ;  he  has  promised  and  he  will 
perform. 


“WHAT  CHRIST  IS  DOING.” 

“  A  dear  little  Sunday  school  girl  came  to  a  friend 
of  mine  the  other  day  and  said,  ‘  dear  teacher,  I  am 
converted.’  The  teacher  said  :  ‘  I  will  examine  your 
evidences,  what  makes  you  think  you  are  converted?  ’ 
She  replied  :  ‘  In  the  book,  mother  read  it  to  me,  if 
child  en  want  to  come  He  wants  to  have  them,  I 
wanted  to  come  and  I  believe  He  wants  to  have  me 
come  because  He  said  so.’  What  better  reason  could 
she  have  found?  What  think  ye  of  Christ?  Are 
you  thinking  of  him  for  yourself,  taking  him  to  your 
own  heart  ?  A  gentleman  went  in  an  orphan  asylum 
to  try  and  get  a  little  girl  to  take  home  with  him,  the 
matron  brought  them  out  and  he  looked  in  this  and 
in  that  face  and  walked  back  and  looked  into  other 
faces  and  then  he  said  to  the  matron,  ‘  I  do  not  think 
I  will  take  any  to-day.’  He  was  too  much  of  a  gen- 


272 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


tleman  to  say  he  did  not  like  them,  and  so  he  said  he 
would  call  another  time.  The  matron  said  :  4  There 
is  a  little  girl  who  came  in  this  morning  but  she  is  all 
mud,  I  will  wash  her  face  and  bring  her  in.’  The 
gentleman  said:  4  Bring  her  in  just  as  she  is/  She 
was  brought  in  ;  she  had  a  confiding  look  as  though 
she  was  ready  to  believe  everybody.  The  gentleman 
said,  ‘I  lost  my  little  girl  and  I  want  a  girl  to  take 
home  with  me,’  she  looked  into  his  face  and  said: 
‘You  look  like  a  good  gentleman/  4  Will  you  go 
home  with  me  ?’  ‘  As  you  like/  ‘  What  is  your 
name?’  4  Rosie  Brown/  ‘Have  you  father  or 
mother?’  ‘  My  father  and  mother  are  dead/  ‘Will 
you  call  yourself  Rosie  Lee  after  me  ?  my  name  is 
Lee.’  ‘Yes/  4  Will  you  go  along  with  me  now?’ 
‘Yes.’  The  gentleman  turned  to  the  matron  and 
said :  4 1  will  take  the  child  home.’  As  he  passed 
out  a  friend  came  along  and  said:  ‘  What  have  you 
got  there?’  he  said  to  Rosie,  ‘  Tell  him.’  Rosie  said: 

‘  This  is  my  papa  and  I  am  going  to  be  his  girl,  my 
name  is  Rosie  Lee.’  The  man  took  her  into  his  heart 
and  she  took  him.  That  is  what  Christ  is  doing  ;  the 
moment  we  give  ourselves  to  Christ  we  say  :  ‘  I  am 
a  Christian.’  We  do  not  care  about  these  clothes 
that  are  not  very  nice.  He  has  garments  of  righte¬ 
ousness  for  you. 

CURIOUS  IDEAS. 

44  People  have  curious  ideas  about  sin.  They  will 
say  :  4 1  am  a  sinner,  I  have  been  a  drinking  man.’ 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


273 


The  reason  you  are  a  sinner  is  because  you  do  not 
love  what  God  loves,  and  you  do  not  hate  what  God 
hates.  I  did  not  until  I  was  converted.  How  are 
you  going  to  get  to  love  what  God  loves  ?  By  letting 
him  make  us  do  it. 

“  TEMPERANCE  MAKES  US  ONE.” 

“  I  have  but  one  more  word  to  say.  Look  around 
and  see  these  flags,  and  it  reminds  us  that  temperance 
makes  us  of  one  brotherhood  and  one  sisterhood ;  we 
forget  about  our  different  flags  and  nationalities. 
We  have  one  God,  Lord  over  all  blessed  for  ever¬ 
more.  It  makes  you  in  foreign  lands  feel  as  if  you 
were  at  home.  That  reminds  me  of  a  new  year’s  call 
made  by  a  foreigner.  A  lady  believing  that  new 
years’  calls,  when  received  according  to  the  prevail¬ 
ing  fashion,  was  productive  of  harm,  thought  she 
would  receive  them  in  a  different  way.  She  asked 
me  to  join  her,  and  when  any  one  wanted  to  turn 
over  a  new  leaf  we  would  ask  them  to  leave  their 
autographs  with  us,  and  we  would  pray  with  them  if 
they  desired  it.  I  went  at  nine  o’clock,  and  had 
hardly  taken  my  seat  there  and  got  ready  for  visitors 
when  I  heard  a  tap  at  the  door.  They  did  not  need 
to  tap  because  it  was  new  years,  and  so  I  thought  it 
must  be  a  stranger  to  the  place.  I  went  to  the  door 
and  there  stood  a  young  man  and  woman,  whom  I 
knew  to  be  foreigners  by  their  complexion.  I  found 
the  young  man  had  mustered  all  the  English  he  had 

to  say  in  one  sentence,  and  that  was :  ‘  I  will  sign 

18 


274 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


the  pledge  for  my  wife,’  and  he  pointed  to  the  lady. 
I  asked  him  a  question  and  thought  he  would  say 
something  more,  but  he  knew  no  more  of  the  lan¬ 
guage.  When  he  put  his  name  to  it  such  curious 
writing  I  never  saw  ;  I  do  not  know  to  this  day  what 
language  it  was.  He  went  over  to  this  dear  young 
lady  and  put  this  pledge  in  her  hand  and  kissed  her 
on  the  cheek.  The  tears  rolled  down  over  her  cheeks 
and  I  knew  that  woman  was  happier  than  many  a 
woman  when  presented  with  the  title  deeds  to  vast 
estates.  I  pointed  to  a  motto,  which  said,  ‘  Trust  in 
God/  I  thought  he  could  read  the  letters,  as  they 
were  peculiar,  but  he  could  not  read  a  word  of  it.  I 
then  pointed  to  heaven,  to  their  God  and  my  God, 
and  I  knew  then  it  touched  their  hearts,  the  tears 
were  in  their  eyes,  and  we  knelt  together,  and  in  my 
English  speech  I  asked  God  to  bless  those  strangers. 
There  together  we  invoked  his  presence  and  blessing. 
It  is  said,  ‘one  touch  of  nature  makes  the  whole 
world  kin,’  and  we  may  say  one  touch  of  temperance 
will  make  the  whole  world  kin,  if  we  go  forward 
blessing  and  to  bless.” 


Closing  words  of  a  speech,  by  Miss  Willard,  at  a 
late  Murphy  meeting : 

“  The  rank  and  file  are  marching  on.  The  work  of 
the  pioneers  is  not  lost.  The  fanaticisms  of  yester¬ 
day  are  the  reforms  of  to-dav,  and  shall  be  the  splen¬ 
did  victories  of  to-morrow.  It  is  something  to  get 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE.  275 

a  view  of  the  promised  land  even  if  you  only  get  it 
from  Pisgah’s  top.  And  I  hazard  the  prophecy,  that 
if  we  do  not  see  it,  the  time  will  come  when  that 
which  takes'  away  the  brain,  and  hardens  the  heart 
of  men,  and  makes  them  cruel  towards  those  they 
love  best,  shall  be  banished  forever  from  the  land. 
Yesterday  what  did  you  see?  You  saw  Wilberforce 
standing  in  the  British  Parliament,  amid  the  scoffs 
of.  those  about  him,  saying, 4 1  move  the  abolition  of 
slavery  in  her  Majesty's  Colonies.’  To-day  the 
name  of  William  Wilberforce  stands  in  the  peerage 
of  British  names.  Yesterday  our  Lloyd  Garrison, 
with  a  rope  around  his  neck,  was  egged  in  the  streets 
of  Boston.  But  even  while  living  his  brow  was  en¬ 
circled  with  the  gratitude  of  millions  of  slaves. 
Look  back  and  you  see  a  Galilaean  carpenter  stand¬ 
ing  alone,  saying :  ‘  The  words  that  I  speak  unto 
you  are  spirit  and  are  life.’  You  know  that  He  was 
without  a  treasury,  still  He  has  so  worked  upon  the 
mines  of  gold  in  this  world,  through  the  transmis¬ 
sion  of  His  spirit,  that  the  grandest  temples  erected 
bear  at  the  top  of  them  the  badge  of  His  humiliation. 

“You  know  His  Gospel  has  spread  to  every  shore. 
You  know  He  has  enthroned  himself  in  millions  of 
hearts.  0!  Christ!  what  bast  Thou  not  done? 
Coming  down  through  the  centuries,  Thou  hast  come 
down  through  the  Gospel,  binding  up  the  broken¬ 
hearted,  and  this  day  Thou  hast  a.,  empire  wide  as 
the  world.  Thou  dost  command.  Thou  art  King 
on  the  Earth  this  day.  Thou  dost  go  on  to  triumph 
more  and  more.  Thou  art  in  this  temperance  move- 


276 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


ment.  It  is  Thyself  that  lifts  men  into  kindliness, 
even  from  the  depths  of  the  gutter.  May  we  yet  say, 
every  one  of  us : 

“  ‘In  the  Cross  of  Christ  I  Glory, 

Towering  o’er  the  wreck  of  time, 

All  that’s  bright  in  human  glory 
Gathers  round  its  head  sublime.’  ” 


Eemarks  of  Miss  Willard,  at  a  meeting  in  Boston,, 
recently  : 

“We  wish  that  everybody  would  get  converted.  It 
is  the  only  true  life — to  be  born  of  God.  The  world 
is  not  all  converted  yet,  though  Christianity  is  the 
simplest  problem  that  man  has  to  encounter.  There 
is  no  government  so  grand  and  so  incalculably  satis¬ 
factory  to  the  Lord  God,  as  the  reign  of  temperance. 
Within  the  sacred  influence  of  school  and  church 
there  nestle  in  this  broad  land  of  ours,  protected  and 
covered  by  the  star-spangled  banner,  two  hundred 
and  fifty  thousand  rum  shops.  To  carry  out  the  busi¬ 
ness  of  these  groggeries  requires  five  hundred  and 
fifty  thousand  of  America’s  citizens.  The  net  revenue 
is  six  hundred  and  fifty  million  dollars,  but  that  is  not 
all.  Seventy-five  per  cent,  of  all  the  murders  in  the 
country  are  committed  through  the  influence  of  ram; 
fifty  per  cent,  of  all  the  insanity  in  the  country  is  the 
result  of  drinking ;  eighty -six  per  cent,  of  all  the 
criminals  in  the  land  become  such  while  staggering 
under  a  load  of  liquor  :  ninety-six  per  cent,  of  all  the 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE.  277 

drunken  youths  leave  a  fond,  but  agonized  mother’s 
arms  to  go  to  the  black  perdition  of  strong  drink. 
Every  year  one  hundred  million  of  our  best  and 
brightest  men  reel  into  eternity  and  a  drunkard’s 
grave.  Every  year  the  statistics  tell  us  of  five  hun¬ 
dred  thousand  steady  drinkers  and  one  hundred  mil¬ 
lion  moderate  drinkers,  and  last  of  all  are  millions  of 
handsome,  intelligent  lads  going  tramp,  tramp,  tramp 
to  a  drunkard’s  destiny.  The  bar-room  is  but  the 
school  of  American  politics.  Each  year  one  hundred 
million  drunkards  go 

STAGGERING  UP  TO  THE  BALLOT-BOX 

to  deposit  the  vote  which  shall  elect  to  the  responsi¬ 
ble  government  of  this  mighty  republic  the  candidate 
whom  their  drunken  intelligence  taught  them  to  be 
the  proper  person.  What  a  sad  reflection  this  is  for 
us  to-night!”  Miss  Willard  made  a  very  eloquent 
appeal  to  her  hearers  to  arouse  themselves,  and  by 
their  Christian  endeavors  free  society  and  politics  of 
their  curse. 

“  What  have  each  one  of  you  done  ?  Who,  tell  me, 
has  saved  one  human  soul  from  the  pit  of  the  blackest 
darkness?  You  have  taken  from  fifty  to  five  hun¬ 
dred  dollars  per  year  from  the  liquor  dealers;  you 
have  given  to  industry  the  strong  arm  and  well- 
developed  muscles  of  mature  manhood;  you  have 
placed  the  keystone  in  the  broken  arch  of  home ;  you 
have  given  to  the  Commonwealth  a  conscientious 
ballot,  and  you  have  given  to  Christ’s  church  another 


278  THE  TRUE  PATH. 

member.  Dear  brother,  you  can  have  those  shackles 
that  bind  you  broken  off  if  you  will.  No  matter 
what  your  sin,  Christ  can  break  the  shackles.  I  tell 
you,  young  man,  that  drunkenness  is  the  ripe  fruit  of 
moderate  drinking  Give  yourselves  then  on  the  side 
of  total  abstinence.  If  there  are  any  here  who  do 
not  feel  the  need  of  taking  the  step,  I  beseech  them 
to  do  it,  that  they  may  set  an  example  to  their  weaker 
brother.  May  you,  one  and  all,  know  in  your  hearts 
the  importance  of  total  abstinence.  I  wish  we  could 
act  as  united  as  our  forefathers  did.  Men  and  women 
of  New  England,  see  the  heritage  your  forefathers 
and  foremothers  have  given  you  1  Will  you  not 
stand  heart  to  heart  for  total  abstinence  ?  How  true 
is  it  that  ‘‘now  is  the  accepted  time.’7  There  is  a 
time  for  every  purpose  and  every  work  in  this  world. 
The  time  has  reached  us. 

THE  TIME  TO  WORK 

has  come.  How  many  in  this  assembly  are  pledged 
on  the  side  of  total  abstinence  ?  I  ask  those  who  are 
not,  in  the  name  of  God,  to  place  themselves  there. 
Sometimes,  they  say,  a  woman’s  fingers  can  undo 
bars  and  bolts  in  the  human  heart  which  men  cannot 
move.  I  think  this  is  so,  and  if  it  is,  sisters,  why 
can’t  we  do  all  our  influence  will  enable  us,  to  over¬ 
come  this  terrible  tide  of  horror  ?  Many  of  you 
have  heard  the  story  of  the  confession  a  murderer 
made  in  his  cell  to  a  Christian  minister.  He  said: 
‘  If  people  had  only  come  to  me  before,  and  told  me 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


279 


these  things,  when  my  heart  was  young,  my  life 
might  have  been  spared.’  At  last  his  sullen,  tigerish, 
cold  and  hardened  heart  was  broken  by  a  woman, 
who  by  some  little  kindness  found  the  door  to  his 
heart  and  the  flood-gate  to  his  tears.  God  help  us, 
one  and  all,  in  Christ’s  dear  name  to  participate  in 
this  glorious  work.” 


Extracts  from  subsequent  speeches  by  Miss  Wil¬ 
lard  : 


u  IN  FAVOR  OF  FREE  WHISKEY.” 

“  One  hundred  thousand  of  our  best  citizens  die 
every  year  from  strong  drink;  behind  them  are  half 
a  million  steady  drinkers  ;  behind  them  are  a  million 
moderate  drinkers;  behind  them  two  millions  of  occa¬ 
sional  drinkers  ;  and  behind  them  all,  dear  mothers, 
come  the  boys  tramp,  tramp,  to  the  drunkard’s  doom 
out  of  their  boyhood  !  Our  law-makers  will  restrict 
the  public  schools  and  enact  tariff  laws,  but  are  all 
in  favor  of  free  whiskey.” 

“  BACK  IN  THE  SHADOWS.” 

“I  think  of  my  constituency,  these  sad-faced  women 
all  over  the  land,  who  sit  to-night  beside  the  darling 
embers  of  their  blasted  hearthstones.  As  I  think  how 
they  have  prayed  and  have  thought  the  heavens  were 
brass  and  have  said  to  me  c  I  think  that  God  is  dead.’ 


280 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


As  I  stand  here  to  plead  for  them,  oh,  may  God  stir 
right  up  in  your  hearts  that  you  and  I,  as  fortunate 
people,  blessed  and  lifted  into  heavenly  places  in 
Christ  Jesus,  may  have  something  to  do  about  it. 
Those  prayers  must  be  answered  ;  God  shall  avenge 
His  own  elect.  Women  have  given  the  best  host¬ 
ages  to  fortune,  they  send  their  best  beloved  out  with 
fearful  legalized  snares  set  along  our  streets,  beyond 
the  arms  which  held  them  long.  Their  boys  have 
gone  forever.  Oh,  by  the  danger  and  the  pain  they 
bear,  by  hours  of  patient  watching  over  beds  where 
little  children  lie,  by  the  incense  of  ten  thousand 
prayers  wafted  from  their  gentle  lips  to  heaven,  I 
charge  you  give  them  your  strong  arm,  your  kindly 
open  hand,  your  generous  tieart,  your  earnest  prayers 
that  God  may  speed  them  in  their  work  for  temper¬ 
ance.  Give  them  every  possible  aid  to  turn  into  ac¬ 
tivity,  to  turn  into  wholesome  results  the  wonderful 
power  that  has  been  so  long  pent  up  in  their  souls. 
How  they  set  back  there  in  the  shadows. ” 

“  COFFEE  HOUSES.” 

u  There  are  two  modes  of  promoting  the  reformation 
of  men  addicted  to  intemperance.  One  is  from  with¬ 
out  and  the  other  from  within.  The  former  proposes 
by  the  establishment  of  reading-rooms,  coffee-houses 
and  other  counter  attractions  to  protect  against  the 
enemy  by  removing  temptation  from  the  victim  of 
appetite  and  securing  for  him  a  comfortable  and  safe 
retreat.  This  is  to  prop  the  man  up  from  without, 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


281 


The  other  plan  contemplates  building  him  up  from 
within  by  bringing  the  grace  of  God  to  his  heart,  and 
by  throwing  the  light  of  the  Gospel  upon  his  dark- 
ened  and  blinded  life  lead  him  up  from  that  devious 
pathway  leading  to  destruction  wherein  he  has  been 
walking.” 

u  LET  NONE  PREACH  CREAM  AND  PRACTICE  SKIM 

MILK.” 

“  Oh,  let  us  be  guided  in  our  daily  life  by  the  Golden 
Rule,  c  Whatsoever  ye  would  that  men  should  do 
unto  you,  do  ye  even  so  unto  them  ;’  or,  in  the  com¬ 
mon  nineteenth-century  phrase,  it  would  be,  1  Put 
yourself  in  his  place.’  Yet  if  I  were  a  prisoner,  and 
anybody  was  to  put  himself  in  my  place  he  would 
have  to  think  about  it  for  a  while,  and  after  being  re¬ 
leased  he  would  lead  such  a  life  that  he  would  never 
get  put  in  again.  If  we  are  to  put  ourselves  in 
others’  places,  then  let  us  go  to  those  who  are  prison¬ 
ers  of  drink  and  try  to  lift  them,  just  as  we  do  those 
on  a  more  material  scale.  May  it  be  the  prayer  of 
our  life  that  profession  may  not  take  the  place  of 
performance  in  our  lives.  As  an  old  farmer  said, 

‘  Let  no  one  in  this  world  preach  cream  and  practice 
skim  milk.’  By  His  grace  removing  idols  out  of  our 
hearts,  by  the  implantation  of  God’s  peace  therein 
through  prayer,  may  you  say,  ‘  I  will  by  Ilis  dear 
grace  have  for  my  motto :  ‘  Christ,  make  my  life  a 
flaming  zeal  for  Jesus,  wrought  in  me  by  the  Holy 
Ghost.’  ” 


282 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


CHAPTER  XXY. 

IMPORTANT  EXTRACTS. 

Col.  Drew,  an  eloquent  Gospel  Temperance  orator, 
has  labored  efficiently  for  some  time  past  in  Xew 
England  and  parts  of  the  Middle  States.  The  fol¬ 
lowing  were  his  closing  remarks  before  a  meeting  at 
the  Tabernacle,  in  Philadelphia,  lately  : 

“  A  man  seventy  years  of  age  who  had  pawned  every 
article  of  furniture,  and  even  the  tools  of  his  trade,  to 
gratify  his  desire  for  drink,  finally  came  through  from 
drink  to  sobriety.  I  asked  him  to  make  a  speech, 
and  he  said :  ‘After  I  signed  the  pledge,  I  made  up 
my  mind  I  would  pass  the  saloons  without  stopping, 
so  I  got  up  all  steam,  and,  almost  running,  got  by 
them  one  after  another,  although  with  great  effort; 
at  last  I  felt  I  must  go  into  one,  but  I  kept  up  a 
quicker  run  and  got  home/  ‘  Perhaps/  said  he, 
‘you  remember  that  in  one  of  the  wonderful  voyages 
of  Sinbad,  the  sailor,  he  was  sailing  along  with  his 
ship  and  he  came  near  a  mountain  of  loadstone,  and 
he  instantly  felt  that  first  one  bolt  was  drawn  out  of 
his  ship,  and  then  another,  until  finally  the  ship  went 
down.  Just  so  when  I  go  by  a  rum-mill.  I  feel  that 
a  bolt  of  my  resolution  is  drawn  out,  and  then  another, 
and  I  am  careful  or  I  will  go  to  pieces/  So  I  say 
to  those  who  have  recently  signed  the  pledge,  that 
they  must  redouble  their  exertions  if  they  would  not 
fall.  Set  all  sail  when  you  go  by  those  rum-holes, 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


283 


and  after  you  get  by  them  several  times  it  will  be 
easier  for  you.  I  like  this  temperance  pledge  for  the 
universal  brotherhood  it  infuses.  It  makes  no  differ- 
ence  between  the  rich  and  the  poor,  the  educated  and 
the  uneducated.  It  stretches  out  its  blessed  arms  to 
every  man  suffering  from  drink,  be  he  high  or  low, 
and  says  to  him  in  effect,  ‘Come  with  us  and  be 
saved.’  It  goes  out  into  the  highways  and  byways, 
into  all  the  alleys  of  the  great  cities  and  searches  out 
men.  What  for?  For  honor?  For  money?  For 
emolument?  No.  But  because  they  are  human  beings 
made  in  the  image  of  our  heavenly  Father,  and  be¬ 
cause  they  have  capacities,  every  one  of  them,  for  a 
reformed  and  regenerated  life.  That  is  this  Temper¬ 
ance  Gospel.  It  is  a  part  of  Christianity,  as  all  tem¬ 
perance  movements  must  be.  It  is  a  Christian  tem¬ 
perance  movement  because  it  recognizes  the  great 
doctrine  of  the  fatherhood  of  God  and  the  brother¬ 
hood  of  man,  and  teaches  every  man,  who  wants  to 
worship  God  in  an  acceptable  manner,  to  try  and  do 
something  for  his  fellow-man.  Go  out  here  on  any 
one  of  the  streets  and  you  will  find  a  man  reeling 
and  staggering  with  drink,  with  no  money,  no  friends, 
no  opportunities,  no  position.  You  don’t  know  him. 
Nobody  knows  him.  You  might  pass  him  a  thousand 
times  on  the  street  without  looking  at  him.  You 
might  pass  him  a  thousand  times,  thinking  that  to 
save  him  would  not  amount  to  anything.  Bring  him 
here;  give  him  the  pledge;  put  a  new  garment  on 
him  ;  a  new  song  in  his  mouth,  and  you  do  not  know 
him.  Can  you  calculate  the  issues  that  depend  upon 


284 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


this  single  succoring  of  this  unknown  and  obscure 
man  ?  This  man  may  have  a  family ;  they  are  made 
happy ;  his  children  are  freed  from  their  heritage  of 
shame ;  his  wife  is  relieved  from  her  apprehensions 
and  sorrow.  He  probably  has  a  dissipated  neighbor 
who  says,  4  Here  is  Jones,  look  at  him,  he  has  a  clean 
collar  on,  he  is  bringing  a  carpet  into  his  house.7 
And  soon  they  say,  there  goes  a  piano  into  his 
house.7  His  comrades  in  his  work  who  formerly 
used  to  say  to  him,  4  Let  us  go  in  and  take  a  beer,7 
ungrammatical,  as  well  as  silly,  look  at  Jones  and 
say,  4  His  children  dress  better  than  we  do,  it  is  be¬ 
cause  he  does  not  spend  that  twenty-five  cents  for 
beer.7  And  each  one  says,  4 1  will  sign  the  pledge 
as  he  has  done.7  What  have  you  done  ?  You  have 
saved  one  unknown  man,  picked  up  in  the  streets  at 
midnight  *,  but  for  all  you  know,  and  for  all  any  man 
knows,  you  may  have,  by  bringing  him  to  the  pledge, 
started  a  current  through  this  population,  a  current 
perpetually  deepening,  widening  and  growing  purer 
and  better  ;  a  current  of  piety,  usefulness  and  strength, 
flowing  through  the  ocean  of  ordinary  humanity  as 
the  Gulf  Stream  flows  through  the  sea.77 


The  world-renowned  Evangelist,  Mr.  D.  L.  Moody, 
has  done  a  glorious  work  on  the  side  of  temperance, 
in  Boston,  during  the  past  number  of  months.  His 
appeals  are  worthy  the  attention  of  Christians  and  re¬ 
formers  everywhere. 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


285 


“  HE  WILL  FORGIVE  AND  HEAL.” 

On  Friday  noon,  February  16,  the  Tabernacle  was 
again  crowded,  and  Mr.  Moody  preached  his  third 
discourse  from  the  words,  “  Who  forgiveth  all  thine 
iniquities,”  in  the  103d  psalm.  He  dwelt  especially 
on  the  word,  “Forgiveth,”  saying:  u  That  is  what  the 
Lord  wants  to  do  with  every  man  and  every  woman 
gathered  in  this  building  to-day.  But  he  does  more 
than  forgive.  You  might  have  a  prodigal  boy  that 
would  go  off  like  the  one  we  read  of  in  the  fifteenth 
chapter  of  Luke,  and  in  some  foreign  country  con¬ 
tract  some  disease  and  come  home  and  repent  of  his 
sins,  and  ask  you  to  forgive  him,  and  you  might  for¬ 
give  him,  but  you  could  not  heal  him.  But  the  Lord 
does  more  than  forgive  :  He  forgiveth  all  our  iniqui¬ 
ties,  and  healeth  all  our  diseases.  Yow,  some  people 
say  they  have  become  so  addicted  to  strong  drink, 
that  it  has  become  a  disease  with  them  ;  never  mind, 
bring  it  to  Christ — lie  will  heal  all  thy  diseases.  I 
would  not  give  up  a  man  because  his  own  power  over 
himself  is  gone  ;  it  is  the  power  of  God  that  is  going 
to  save  him,  not  his  own ;  and  if  a  man  is  so  given  to 
drink  that  it  is  a  disease,  don’t  become  discouraged 
and  think  there  is  no  hope  for  that  man.  ‘  He  for¬ 
giveth  all  thine  iniquities,  He  healeth  all  thy  diseases, 
He  restoreth  thy  soul.’  He  forgiveth  and  healeth.  If 
a  man  only  brings  his  disease  to  Christ,  if  he  only 
brings  this  appetite  to  the  Son  of  God,  God  is  able  to 
forgive  him  and  heal  him.  But  He  does  more  than 


'286 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


forgive  and  heal.  A  man  may  be  forgiven  and 
healed,  but  Christ  redeemeth  his  life,  not  from  the 
power  of  Satan,  but  from  the  hands  of  justice.  Every 
man  who  has  sinned  and  transgressed  the  law  of  God, 
oh  !  1  He  redeemeth  thy  life  from  destruction  ’ — that 

is  what  God  wants  to  do.  He  will  redeem  every 
drunkard  in  this  town  if  he  wants  to  be  redeemed, 
and  is  willing  to  be  redeemed  for  God’s  glory,  if 
his  aim  is  to  glorify  God.  A  man  need  not  come  to 
God  to  get  rid  of  his  appetite  if  he  means  to  be  an 
infidel,  to  sow  tares  if  he  means  to  fight  against  God. 
Perhaps  it  is  better  that  he  should 

GO  INTO  A  DRUNKARD’S  GRAVE. 

than  to  sow  tares  and  do  what  he  can  to  destroy  the 
Lord’s  works.  He  does  more  than  forgive,  heal,  and 
redeem,  He  ‘  crowneth  thee  with  loving  kindness 
and  tender  mercies.’  He  crowneth  thee  with  loving- 
kindness  and  tender  mercies.  Every  child  of  God 
that  has  been  redeemed  is  crowned  with  loving  kind¬ 
ness  and  tender  mercies,  and  the  blessings  of  Heaven. 
But  there  are  a  great  many  people  who  have  the 
crowns,  but  are  not  satisfied.  I  have  no  doubt  that 
a  great  many  crowned  heads  in  Europe  are  dissatis¬ 
fied,  and  they  do  not  know  what  peace  and  comfort 
are.  He  does  more  than  crown — He  satisfieth.  There 
are  five  precious  things  that  the  Lord  gives  every  one 
that  believeth  in  Him :  Forgiveth  all  thine  iniquities, 
healeth  all  thy  diseases,  redeemeth  thy  life  from  de¬ 
struction,  crowneth  thee  with  loving  kindness  and 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


287 


tender  mercies,  and  satisfieth.  You  can  not  get  any 
higher  than  satisfaction.  What  does  a  man  want 
more  than  that  ?  That  is  the  top  round  of  the  ladder, 
and  the  angels  of  heaven  can  not  get  any  higher; 
the  redeemed  in  glory  can  not  get  any  higher;  that 
is  the  very  highest  to  which  we  can  go,  my  friends. 
Satisfieth — God  will  satisfy  every  one  of  us  if  we  will 
only  come  to  Him.  That  it  just  what  He  wants  to 
do.  Oh,  may  God  help  us  to  come  to  Him  to-day. 
Ho  wonder  the  Psalmist  says,  £  Bless  the  Lord,  O  my 
soul ;’  he  had  got  something  to  bless  the  Lord  for,  and 
if  you  will  only  take  Christ  as  God’s  gift,  and  your 
way  and  your  portion,  you  will  have  something  to 
praise  God  for.  I  hope  every  man  that  is  a  slave  to¬ 
day  to  strong  drink  will  come  just  as  he  is,  and  ask 
God  to  heal  all  your  diseases,  to  redeem  your  life  from 
destruction  crown  you  with  loving  kindness  and  tender 
mercies,  and  satisfy  your  soul.  He  can  do  it.  He 
longs  to  do  it.  God  will  grant  your  requests.  The 
sinner  wants  to  get  in  the  place  of  receiving  and  put 
God  in  the  place  of  giving,  and  then  salvation  will 
flow  into  his  soul.  Before  we  have  a  few  moments 
of  silent  prayer,  I  would  like  just  to  make  a  state¬ 
ment  that  may  encourage  you  to  pray.  At  the 
young  men’s  meetings  and  at  other  meetings  which 
we  have  had,  at  the  Friday  meetings,  and  at  the 
small  meetings  this  week,  there  have  been  a  great 
many  who  have  been,  as  we  believe,  saved  by  the 
answer  to  prayer.  They  have  been  deprived  of  their 
appetite  for  strong  drink.  It  shows  that  God  is  al¬ 
ready  commencing  to  answer  our  prayers.  I  say  this 


288 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


to  encourage  you  to  pray.  It  has  just  been  reported 
about  again  that  those  who  have  been  drunkards  and 
reformed,  don’t  stand,  and  now  that  is  being  denied. 
I  have  just  got  a  letter  this  week  from  Philadelphia; 
for  I  had  heard  that  one  of  several  hundred  men  who 
had  been  saved  in  that  city  had  fallen,  and  so  I  wrote 
back  there  to  inquire  about  it,  and  I  got  this  letter 
in  answer  from  the  man  himself,  saying  that  he  had 
only  been  down  for  a  few  days,  but  he  had  been 
raised  again  by  the  power  of  God,  so  that  the  very 
day  this  letter  was  written  he  was  leading  the  noon 
prayer- meeting.  He  had  been  one  of  the  greatest 
drunkards  in  Philadelphia,  but  God  had  heard  and 
answered  his  prayer.  Some  may  say  that  because 
these  men  have  been  saved,  it  is  no  sign  that  they 
have  been  reclaimed.  A  great  many  of  us  Christians 
have  done  a  good  many  things  since  we  were  con¬ 
verted  that  we  ought  not  to  have  done,  and  I  don’t 
see  why  we  should  cast  these  men  oft*  because  they 
have  fallen.  Instead  of  trying  to  help  them  some 
seem  to  rejoice  at  it  and  call  their  neighbors’  attention 
to  it,  and  say,  4  Now  see  how  that  man  has  fallen.’ 
Let  us  try  to  raise  them  up  instead  of  rejoicing  in 
their  fall.  It  seems  as  though  you  were  doing  the 
devil’s  work  when  you  rejoice  at  a  man’s  fall  instead 
of  trying  to  raise  him  up.  Go  to  work  and  get  him 
away  from  the  devil  if  you  can.  The  devil  has  got 
him  down — a  good  many  are  trying  to  help  the  devil 
keep  him  down.  Because  a  man  has  fallen  again  it 
is  no  sign  that  he  has  not  been  reclaimed.  I  tell  you 
Christ  will  heal  the  backslider  and  get  him  on  his 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


289 


feet  again;  He  has  saved  hundreds  of  men  in  that 
way. 

HOW  A  FIFTEEN-CENT  SCRIP  SAVED  A  DRUNKARD. 

u  A  man  came  into  our  meeting  in  the  Hippodrome 
the  last  night  we  were  there,  and  I  have  been  anx¬ 
ious  to  hear  how  he  was  getting  along,  and  this  week 
I  heard  from  him.  He  was  not  only  a  tramp,  but  he 
had  got  down  about  as  low  as  any  tramp  could  get. 
His  will  power  was  all  gone.  He  had  no  rags  to  cover 
his  nakedness.  He  was  as  filthy  and  as  far  gone  as 
any  man  I  have  ever  seen.  He  came  into  the  Friday 
meeting  and  stayed  to  the  second  meeting,  and  some 
friends  prayed  with  him  ;  whether  they  effected  any 
change  in  him,  at  that  time,  I  don’t  know.  He  told 
them  he  didn’t  know  anything  about  Jesus.  He  said, 
4  He  won’t  answer  my  prayer,  I  am  so  great  a  sinner.’ 
But  this  was  his  experience,  as  he  narrated  it  to  me 
afterwards.  He  said  he  had  a  fifteen-cent  scrip  in 
his  pocket,  and  he  said  the  first  day  after,  4  If  the 
Lord  will  help  me  keep  that  piece  of  scrip  twenty- 
four  hours  I  will  take  that  as  a  token  He  will  answer 
my  prayer.  If  I  shall  just  be  able  to  walk  through 
the  streets  of  Hew  York  twenty-four  hours  without 
spending  it  for  whiskey,  I  will  take  that  as  an  answer 
to  my  prayer.’  He  had  no  place  to  lay  his  head,  but 
wandered  about  the  streets  all  that  time,  and  when 
he  came  back  to  me  afterwards  and  I  asked  him  how 
he  was  getting  along,  and  all  he  said  was, 

19 


290 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


‘  I  HAVE  GOT  IT  NOW.’ 

I  heard  from  him  last  week,  and  he  said,  c  I  have  got 
it  now.’  He  hadn’t  spent  it  for  whiskey.  [Laughter 
and  applause.]  He  says,  he  intends  to  keep  that 
piece  of  currency  as  long  as  he  lives.  God  help  him 
to  do  it !  [Cries  of  Amen.]  That  shows  how  God 
can  save  the  poor  drunkard.  Let  us  believe  in 
prayer.  Before  we  have  a  silent  prayer,  I  would  like 
to  read  a  request  from  a  little  child?  4  Dear  Chris- 
tain  (written  in  a  childish  hand),  will  you  please  pray 
for  my  father ;  he  is  a  drunkard,  and  for  that  cause  I 
am  without  a  home,  and  when  you  pray  for  him, 
remember  me,  a  little  girl.’  O,  may  God  bless  the 
little  girl,  and  may  God  hear  our  prayers  and  save 
that  father.  Let  us  have  a  few  moments’  silent 
prayer  Let  us  all  pray.” 

After  a  season  of  silent  prayer,  Mr.  Moody  intro¬ 
duced  to  the  audience  Mr.  Sawyer,  who  had  come 
from  Chicago  to  take  charge  of  the  work  of  reform 
in  Boston. 

Mr.  Sawyer  spoke  at  some  length  in  a  rapid  and 
forcible  manner,  and  gave  an  extract  from  his  own 
experience,  at  Mr.  Moody’s  request,  in  which  he  said 
he  knew  what  it  meant  to  be  houseless  and  home¬ 
less,  a  poor  miserable  leper,  given  up  to  strong  drink 
for  twenty  years,  but  saved  through  the  blood  of 
Christ  four  years  ago. 

He  had  been  a  boy  with  Jordan,  Marsh  &  Co.,  and 
was  doing  well  and  had  many  friends,  but  the  enemy 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


291 


overcame  him.  He  got  oa  the  road  to  Jericho 
got  stripped  of  his  raiment  and  beaten  ;  everything 
was  gone  and  he  hadn’t  a  hope  on  earth.  It  was 
while  in  this  condition — a  wretched  drunkard — that 
he  stumbled  into  a  lawyer’s  office  in  Poughkeepsie, 
and  fell  asleep  in  a  chair.  When  he  awoke,  the 
lawyer  told  him  he  understood  his  case,  said  he  had 
been  there  himself,  told  him  how  he  was  cured  by  the 
grace  of  God,  nine  years  before,  and  how  he  had  been 
kept  ever  since.  But  it  was  hard  for  him  to  believe 
it,  the  cure  seemed  so  simple;  and  then  the  lawyer 
told  him  the  story  of  Naaman,  and  said  that  the  very 
reason  he  hesitated  to  accept  it  was  because  it  was 
so  simple.  He  took  him  at  his  word,  turned  his  back 
on  Jericho,  and  faced  the  promised  land.  He  stop¬ 
ped  drinking  and  went  to  praying.  He  forsook  his 
evil  ways,  and  had  been  happy  ever  since,  and  try¬ 
ing  what  he  could  do  to  bring  the  same  blessing  upon 
others.  Mr.  Moody  then  rose,  and  the  following 
brief  colloquy  took  place  : 

Mr.  Moody. — u  Has  your  appetite  come  baek?” 

Mr.  Sawyer. — “  No,  sir  ” 

Mr  Moody. — “  Has  God  entirely  destroyed  your 
appetite  so  that  it  never  troubles  you  ?” 

Mr  Sawyer. — u  I  would  not  like  to  say  that  God 
takes  away  the  appetite,  but  he  covers  it  up  so  that 
we  don’t  know  where  it  is  if  we  live  near  Him.  When 
we  don’t  live  near  Him,  Satan  finds  it  again  and  plays 
on  it.  But  if  we  live  near  him  we  don’t  know  where 
it  is.” 


292 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


Extracts  from  Mr.  Moody’s  late  temperance  dis¬ 
courses  : 

THE  u  RUM  DEVIL’’  TO  BE  CAST  OUT  BY  PRAYER. 

“  I  think  this  rum  devil  is  the  worst  devil  we  have, 
and  we  are  not  going  to  cast  him  out  by  great  meet¬ 
ings  and  lectures,  but  by  prayer.  Now  there  are 
some  women  in  Chicago  that  have  had  a  daily  prayer 
meeting  every  afternoon  at  three  o’clock  right  along 
for  two  years,  and  I  do  not  know  of  anything  that 
has  made  the  same  impression  on  me  as  those  meet¬ 
ings.  While  I  was  in  Chicago  I  used  to  drop  in, 
steal  in  and  stand  behind  a  post  to  see  how  it  was 
done.  There  were  three  to  five  hundred  men  and 
women  gathered  there  at  this  meeting  conducted  by 
ladies,  and  there  were  from  twenty-five  to  one  hun¬ 
dred  drinking  men,  some  of  them  so  drunk  that  they 
had  to  take  them  out  because  they  were  noisy,  and 
when  they  were  sobered  off  they  would  bring  them 
back.  During  the  past  two  years  they  have  taken 
the  names  of  fifteen  hundred  men,  and  they  are  follow¬ 
ing  them  up.  Now  what  they  do  can  be  done  in 
Boston.  What  we  want  is  that  Jerry  McCaulay 
affair.  He  has  a  meeting  every  night.  It  is  known 
all  over  New  York,  and  when  a  man  feels  that  he 
needs  prayer  he  goes  down  there  and  they  pray  for 
him.” 


“NO  MORE  WHITEWASHING.” 

“  The  church  of  God  has  been  asleep  long  enough. 
We  do  not  want  any  more  whitewashing,  we  want. 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


293 


men  recreated,  and  then  they  will  have  power  to 
overcome  this  terrible  appetite,  to  hurl  the  cup  from 
them  and  live  as  God  would  have  them  live.  I  want 
to  throw  this  out  as  a  suggestion,  and  if  the  praying 
men  and  women  in  this  audience  think  they  would 
like  such  a  meeting  let  them  do  what  I  suggest.  It 
is  easy  enough  to  come  up  to  this  anniversary  and 
clap  your  hands,  but  we  want  those  who  are  willing 
to  work  three  hundred  and  sixty-five  days  in  the 
year.  It  is  a  long,  steady  pull,  but  we  want  it.  It 
seems  to  me  this  work  is  in  the  very  air.  I  believe 
we  are  going  to  put  this  terrible  curse  away,  and  I 
trust  there  is  a  time  coming  when  if  there  is  a  minister 
of  the  gospel  that  stands  in  the  pulpit  and  advocates 
a  moderate  use  of  liquor,  the  men  and  women  will 
get  out  of  the  church  as  Lot  did  out  of  Sodom. 
[Applause.]  I  tell  you,  get  a  man  that  encourages 
this  traffic  out  of  your  church.  We  want  clean  hands 
to  carry  the  pure  gospel  from  the  churches.  We 
want  the  church  right,  and  then  we  will  have  power 
with  God  and  man/’ 

THE  BIBLE  WAVE  RISING. 

11 1  like  this  organization  because  it  is  stirring  up  the 
church,  and  I  believe  it  is  about  the  only  organiza¬ 
tion  that  reaches  the  question.  We  have  this  church 
so  pure  and  holy,  and  when  the  church  takes  hold  of 
this  matter  and  reaches  a  helping  hand  to  the  drunk¬ 
ards  and  tells  them  that  there  is  hope  for  them,  they 
will  come  flocking  in.  That  has  been  demonstrated 


294 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


in  this  city  and  in  Philadelphia.  During  the  past 
few  weeks  we  hear  tidings  from  that  city  that  are- 
wonderful,  and  we  hear  them  from  Pittsburg  and 
Ohio.  The  Bible  wave  is  rising  in  the  West,  and  I 
hope  it  will  sweep  over  the  land.  Let  that  be  our 
prayer  and  that  be  our  work.” 


WORDS  OF  POWER. 

At  a  temperance  meeting  in  the  Philadelphia  TaV 
ernacle,  held  April  6th;  1877,  Mr.  Samuel  P.  Godwin, 
President  of  the  Franklin  Reformatory  Home,  made 
a  few  telling  and  forcible  remarks,  which  had  a  pro¬ 
nounced  effect  upon  the  large  audience  present.  We 
extract  the  following  from  them  as  worthy  of  general 
perusal.  He  said  : 

“I  could  say  a  great  many  words  when  I  behold  a 
man  on  my  left  hand,  who  has  been  the  subject  of 
my  prayers  for  the  last  twelve  months,  giving  testi¬ 
mony  in  behalf  of  this  great  work.  If  Brother 
Murphy  had  accomplished  no  other  good  in  the 
hands  of  the  Lord  but  the  turning  of  this  one  young 
man  to  Christ,  he  would  have  done  more  thau  you 
or  I  have  done  in  a  lifetime.  It  is  nothing  for  you 
and  I  to  stand  up  in  behalf  of  total  abstinence,  but  it 
is  something  for  these  dear  souls  that  have  dared  to 
do  right  and  to  conquer.  I  feel  like  bowing  down  in 
reverence  at  the  feet  of  men  who  have  dared  to  come 
boldly  and  sign  the  pledge  and  keep  it  through  the 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


295 


grace  of  God,  and  we  ought  to  do  all  we  can  to  ad¬ 
vance  the  interest  of  such  men.  Let  us  do  all  we 
can  to  replace  them  in  their  position  in  society  and 
the  family  circle,  and  lift  them  up  to  true  manhood.” 

Words  like  these  can  only  come  from  the  heart, 
and  from  one  of  noble  proportions. 


We  make  the  following  extract  from  an  eloquent 
address  by  Hon.  William  Moran,  at  the  Temperance 
Tabernacle,  in  Philadelphia,  May  6th,  1877  : 

“  I  would  rather  be  the  instrument  of  accomplish¬ 
ing  the  good  which  Murphy  has  brought  about,  and 
have  his  power  over  the  affections  of  the  people,  than 
have  the  eloquence  of  a  Cicero  or  a  Demosthenes,  or 
be  President  of  the  United  States.  Should  that  great 
reformer  remain  with  us  one  whole  year,  I  verily  be¬ 
lieve  there  would  be  no  necessity  of  appropriating 
$800,000  for  the  support  of  our  Almshouse,  $250,000 
to  the  House  of  Correction,  and  a  million  of  dollars 
to  the  support  of  a  large  police  force.  Two-thirds  of 
the  amount  thus  expended,  was  due  to  the  rum  traffic. 
Our  government  pensions  those  who  become  wounded 
in  its  service ;  and  he  saw  no  reason  why  the  rum- 
seller  should  not  be  compelled  to  support  the  pauper 
and  the  criminal,  made  so  through  his  furnishing  the 
means.  By  the  success  of  the  temperance  movement, 
taxation  would  be  reduced,  and  thousands  of  now 
desolate  homes  made  happy.  The  true  remedy  for 
all  ills  resultant  upon  intemperance  is  total  abstinence. 


296 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


‘Touch  not,  taste  not,  handle  not,’  is  the  only  motto 
which  will  yield  protection  to  the  tempted ;  and  I 
would  to  God  that  all  who  hear  me  would  adopt  it  as 
their  own. 

“  The  people  of  this  city  and  State  owe  Mr.  Murphy 
a  debt  of  gratitude  which  they  can  never  repay.  His 
work  will  live  after  him,  when  he  shall  have  passed 
away  and  received  the  rich  reward  which  is  doubt¬ 
less  prepared  for  him  in  the  heavens. ” 


At  the  meeting  of  the  Ninety-third  Annual  Con¬ 
vention  of  the  P.  E.  Church  of  the  Diocese  of  Penn¬ 
sylvania,  Bishop  W.  Bacon  Stevens  treated  the  sub¬ 
ject  of  Temperance  as  follows: 

u  The  temperance  question  is  occupying  much  of 
the  public  attention  at  this  time.  How  far  the  present 
movement  as  seen  in  this  city,  differing,  as  it  does, 
from  all  previous  efforts,  will  secure  permanent  re¬ 
sults,  cannot  at  present  be  known.  We  do  know, 
however,  that  a  great  good  has  been  accomplished  ; 
we  do  know  that  it  takes  by  the  hand  the  drunkard 
in  his  poverty,  without  work,  and  without,  perhaps, 
a  friend,  and  does  not  say  to  him,  be  ye  warmed  and 
filled,  notwithstanding  we  give  him  not  those  things 
which  are  needful  for  the  body,  for  it  finds  work  for 
the  workless,  bread  for  the  foodless,  garments  for  the 
naked,  shelter  for  the  houseless — friends,  Christian 
friends,  for  the  friendless.  It  is  a  noble  illustration 
of  the  true  union  of  faith  and  works,  and  hence  the 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


297 


remarkable  success  which  has  attended  these  efforts 
to  reclaim  the  intemperate.  We  cannot  but  speak 
respectfully,  thankfully  of  this  work.  Not  to  do  so, 
methinks,  would  be  to  incur  the  rebuke  our  Lord 
gave  to  John,  who,  when  he  complained  to  Jesus, 
saying,  c  Master,  we  saw  one  casting  out  devils  in 
thy  name,  and  we  forbade  him  because  he  followed 
not  us.’  f  Forbid  him  not,’  replied  the  large-minded 
Jesus,  1  for  there  is  no  man  which  shall  do  a  miracle 
in  my  name  that. can  lightly  speak  evil  of  me,  for  he 
that  is  not  against  us  is  on  our  part.’  For  though 
these  men  do  not  profess  to  work  miracles,  yet  if  by 
the  grace  of  God  working  through  their  instrumen¬ 
tality,  they  can  bring  the  once  drunkard  and  hitherto 
ferocious  men  to  sit  at  the  feet  of  Jesus,  clothed  in 
their  right  minds,  then  I  think  we  may  see  God’s 
hand  in  the  work,  and  feel  assured  that  at  any  rate 
it  is  not  against  it.” 


CHAPTER  XXY 

A  FAMOUS  LECTURER  HEARD  FROM. 

Of  course,  nearly  all  men  in  our  country  know  of 
the  name  of  John  B.  Gough,  the  eloquent.  For  half 
a  life-time  he  has  delighted  the  people  of  our  large 
towns  and  cities  with  his  rare  eloquence  and  inimit¬ 
able  humor.  But  few  may  know,  however,  that  he 


298 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


is  earnest  and  bold  in  advocacy  of  Gospel  Temper¬ 
ance.  At  a  recent  meeting,  in  the  Boston  Taber¬ 
nacle,  he  sat  close  by  Mr.  Moody,  who,  before  the 
close  of  the  services,  said:  “Mr.  Gough  says  it  is 
very  hard  work  for  him  to  keep  still,  and  he  is  liable 
to  break  out  at  any  minute ;  but  I  ain’t  going  to  let 
him  say  anything  now.  I  tell  him  he  can  talk  to 
you  five  hours  to-night  if  he  wants  to.” 

Thus,  the  famous  lecturer  was  announced,  and, 
when  the  evening  came,  the  Tabernacle  was  crowded, 
whilst  many  hundreds  were  turned  away.  The  lec¬ 
ture  itself  was  one  of  his  very  finest  efforts,  and  pro¬ 
duced  a  powerful  and  magical  effect,  throughout, 
upon  his  hearers.  We  give  a  verbatim  report  here 
of  the  speech,  since  it  was  made  in  the  interest  of 
Gospel  Temperance,  to  a  Gospel  Temperance  meeting, 
and  in  a  real  Gospel  Temperance  spirit.  It  will  cer¬ 
tainly  amply  amuse,  and  repay,  every  one,  in  its  pe¬ 
rusal.  W e  think  our  work  would  be  incomplete  did 
we  not  send  forth  this  latest,  newest  and  best  of 
Gough’s  addresses. 

We  are  told  that,  in  its  delivery,  he  began  deliber¬ 
ately,  warmed  up  as  he  progressed  in  his  subject,  and 
gave  to  it  the  gestures,  attitudes,  looks  and  tones  re¬ 
quired.  There  was  continued  and  deafening  applause, 
as  the  remarkable  “hits”  of  the  speaker  fell,  one 
after  the  other,  upon  his  audience.  We  urge  upon 
every  one  the  perusal  of  this : 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


299 


MR.  GOUGH’S  GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE  LECTURE. 

“  I  think  no  person  could  occupy  the  position  I 
occupy  to-night  without  being  weighed  down  under 
a  sense  of  the  responsibility  of  the  position — to  speak 
to  such  an  audience  of  thinking  men  and  thinking 
women  as  are  assembled  in  this  building  to-night.  I 
am  to  speak  to  you  on  the  subject  of  temperance,  a 
theme  that  is  very  dear  to  me.  When  I  look  back  to 
thirty-four  or  thirty-five  years  ago,  and  remember  the 
hand  that  was  laid  on  my  shoulder  as  I  walked  the 
streets  of  the  city  of  Worcester  as  forlorn  and  hope¬ 
less  as  any  man  that  ever  stood  or  sat  within  the 
walls  of  this  Tabernacle,  remember  the  utter  prostra¬ 
tion  with  the  desire  for  better  things,  but  no  hope ; 
with  ambition  for  something  better,  but  no  expecta¬ 
tion  ;  with  pride  enough,  but  no  energy,  no  freshness 
of  feeling,  and  although  thirty-five  years  have  passed 
since  the  day  I  signed  the  charter  of  my  freedom, 
and  it  looked  upon  that  paper  like  the  signature  of 
Stephen  Hopkins  on  the  Declaration  of  Independ¬ 
ence,  I  remember  distinctly  the  feeling,  the  senti¬ 
ment,  the  circumstances  of  that  time,  and  they  were 
brought  before  me  this  afternoon  very  vividly.  But  I 
will  not  occupy  time  in  speaking  of  my  own  personal 
experience  ;  I  come  to  you  with  the  result  of  thirty- 
four,  thirty-five  years5  observation  among  the  drink¬ 
ing  men  and  among  those  who  are  engaged  in  the 
noble  work  of  reform,  and  as  they  all  say  I  use  more 
illustration  than  argument,  tell  more  stories  than  I 


300 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


use  loodc,  T  wish  to  relate  an  incident  that  occurred  in 
my  own  experience  but  a  short  time  since. 

“A  young  Scotchman  called  to  see  me,  who  showed 
me  his  diploma  as  a  physician.  He  was  a  graduate 
of  Edinburgh  University,  a  fine-looking  fellow,  as 
handsome  a  man  as  ever  walked  the  streets,  but  being 
marked  and  scarred  by  this  enemy.  After  some  con¬ 
versation  he  left  me,  and  his  last  words  rung  in  my 
•ears  ;  his  last  words  brought  the  tears  to  my  eyes,  and 
I  think  I  shall  never  forget  them.  Standing  before 
me,  he  said:  CI  am  very  much  obliged  to  you,  Mr. 
Gough;  you  have  given  me  your  time,  and  you  have 
told  me  the  truth,  but  it’s  na  use,  and  there  is  na  hope. 
Shake  hands  with  me,  will  you,  I  am  a  lost  laddie,’ 
and  he  went  away.  As  I  saw  him  going  out,  stalwart 
and  strong,  in  the  pride  of  health,  4 1  am  a  lost  laddie,’ 
my  eyes  filled  with  tears,  and  in  the  night  I  awoke, 
hearing  the  cry  of  a  despairing  man,  1 1  am  a  lost  lad¬ 
die.’  How  many  lost  laddies  are  there  to-day,  in  these 
United  States;  how  many  are  there  in  this  city  of 
.Boston,  and  I  could  not  help  thinking  this  afternoon 
as  I  think  now,  as  I  look  upon  this  audience,  what  are 
we  assembled  for  ?  To  bring  home,  and  freedom,  and 
salvation  to  lost  laddies  in  Boston,  to  tell  them  there 
is  hope  for  them,  to  stir  them  up  to  exercise  the  power 
God  has  given  them,  to  break  their  fetters,  to  stir 
them  up  into  a  natural  ambition  to  battle  with  the 
evil  that  has  held  them  so  many  years,  and  stand  up 
free  men,  saved,  saved  by  the  power  of  the  grace  of 
Him  who  is  able  to  save  to  the  uttermost  all  those 
that  come  unto  Him. 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


301 


HOW  DO  MEN  BECOME  DRUNKARDS  ? 

“Now  I  want  to  say  a  few  words,  and  they  will  be 
to-night,  with  very  little  connection,  all  bearing,  as  far 
as  I  can  make  them,  upon  the  question :  How  do  men 
become  drunkards?  I  maintain  this,  that  every  man 
who  becomes  a  drunkard,  becomes  so  in  trying  to  be 
a  moderate  drinker  and  failing.  Now  there  are  some 
men  that  can  drink  moderately.  I  should  be  very 
foolish  to  stand  before  an  audience  like  this  and  say 
a  moderate  drinker  is  worse  than  a  drunkard,  that  if 
a  man  drinks  he  must  become  a  drunkard.  There  are 
men  who  can  and  do  drink  moderately,  and  there  are 
some  Christian  men  who  can  and  do  drink  moderate¬ 
ly.  Now  I  want  to  say  a  word  or  two  to  moderate 
drinkers  before  I  go  farther.  They  are  the  hardest 
cases  in  the  world  to  move,  because  they  have  not 
lost  reputation,  they  have  not  lost  property,  they 
are  not  bearing  the  terrible  burden  of  their  sin 
as  some  of  these  intemperate  men  are,  and  there¬ 
fore  they  are  hard  to  reach.  ‘I  never  hurt  myself 
by  drinking;  I  don’t  see  that  I  am  injuring  myself 
in  any  degree  by  it,’  and  they  are  the  hardest 
cases  in  the  world  to  move.  So  I  want  to  say  at 
once  to  the  moderate  drinker,  You  can  drink  mod¬ 
erately,  perhaps — there  are  some  men  that  can  not 
for  certain.  1  could  not  be  a  moderate  drinker ;  I 
could  no  more  be  a  moderate  drinker  than  you  could 
blow  up  a  powder  magazine  moderately,  or  fire  off  a 
gun  a  little  a  time.  [Laughter.]  I  have  tried  it  and 


302 


TIIK  TRUE  PATH. 


failed.  You  say  you  are  a  weak-minded  man.  Very 
well,  have  it  at  that  if  you  choose.  I  tell  you,  sir,  if 
I  am  so  weak-minded  that  I  can  not  drink  moderate¬ 
ly,  thank  God  I  am  strong  enough  to  let  it  alone  alto¬ 
gether.  [Applause.]  I  want  to  say  to  moderate 
drinkers,  drink  if  you  will,  drink  if  you  must,  but 
don’t  you  dare  to  tell  these  young  men  that  you  set 
them  a  good  example.  How  do  you  know  ? 

“I  was  once  in  a  town  in  New  York  and  saw  a 
church  that  was  building  with  a  very  superb,  symmet- 
trical  spire.  From  a  small  window,  high  up,  a  plank 
was  pushed  out  about  ten  feet,  and  held  by  ropes 
fastened  within.  Again  I  saw  a  man  get  out  of  that 
window  and  step  right  on  that  platform  without  fall¬ 
ing.  How  many  of  you  could  do  it  ?  How  many  of 
you?  I  saw  a  man  on  the  sidewalk  halloo  to  him. 
He  put  his  hands  on  his  knees  and  looked  down  and 
hallooed  to  the  man.  Now  that  man  could  stand  on 
that  platform,  and  did,  but  if  I  had  set  my  foot  on 
that  platform,  the  moment  I  saw  the  depth  of  one 
hundred  and  thirty  feet  below  me,  I  would  have 
gone  down.  I  could  not  help  it.  No  logic,  no  argu¬ 
ment,  no  mind,  no  will,  no  genius,  or  intellect  could 
have  helped  me.  I  could  not  help  myself.  Now  I 
say,  sir,  if  you  can  stand  on  that  plank  and  you  tell 
me  you  set  me  a  good  example  and  you  induce  me 
by  your  encouragement  to  follow  your  example,  be¬ 
cause  it  is  a  safe  one,  to  stand  on  that  plank,  and  1 
fall,  what  then?  Your  skirts  are  full  of  my  blood. \ 
It  must  needs  be  that  offences  come,  but  woe  unto 
that  man  by  whom  they  come.  You  tell  the  young 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


303 


man  you  set  him  a  good  example — how  do  you 
know  ?  If  there  was  a  bridge  built  over  a  gulf,  to 
fall  into  which  was  utter  ruin,  that  hold  one  hun¬ 
dred  and  fifty  pounds,  and  you  weigh  one  hundred 
and  thirty,  it  is  a  safe  bridge  for  you  to  walk  on  as 
much  as  you  please.  Here  stands  a  man  that  weighs 
two  hundred  pounds,  and  you  tell  him  to  follow 
your  example.  4 1  don’t  like  the  looks  of  that  bridge/ 
he  says.  Don’t  be  a  fool,  I  have  walked  it  for  ten 
years,  and  it  is  safe ;  don’t  mind  what  others  say. 
Now  you  follow  my  example,  in  moderation — don’t 
get  into  a  rush — exercise  your  sell-control — step 
there — now  another — step  in  a  moderate  way — don’t 
get  excited.’  So  he  goes  on  till  he  sets  his  foot  on 
the  centre,  and  crash  1  he  goes  to  destruction.  Did 
you  set  him  a  good  example  ?  No,  because  you  did 
not  take  into  consideration  the  difference  between 
your  weights.  Do  you  dare  to  tell  that  young  man 
4  You  are  safe,  I  am  a  good  example,’  unless  you  have 
studied  his  susceptibilities,  and  that  takes  a  lifetime 
to  tell. 

44  Now,  you  say  if  a  man  can  not  drink  moderately 
he  is  weak-minded.  What  do  you  mean  by  weak- 
minded  ?  It  requires  more  strength  of  mind,  firmness 
of  purpose,  decision  of  character,  more  of  an  iron  will, 
to  break  a  bad  habit  you  have  acquired.  Did  you 
ever  try  to  break  a  habit — any  little  thing,  for  in¬ 
stance  ?  There  is  a  young  lady  whose  fingers  are 
marred  and  disfigured.  What  is  the  matter?  She 
bites  her  nails.  Can’t  she  break  the  habit?  I  have 
known  girls  to  work  for  months  before  they  could  get 


304 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


rid  of  the  habit  of  biting  their  nails.  I  knew  a  man 
who  had  acquired  the  habit  of  reading  with  his  elbow 
on  the  desk  in  front  of  him,  and  he  would  twist  his 
hair  around  his  fingers.  Some  one  said:  4  What  are 
you  pulling  your  hair  out  for?,  4  Why,’  he  said,  4 1 
acquired  the  habit  and  I  can  not  read  with  comfort 
without  doing  it.  I  knew  a  man  who  made  up  his 
mind  to  give  up  the  use  of  tobacco.  He  used  to  use 
Cavendish  plug  tobacco,  and  he  put  his  hand  in  his 
pocket  and  threw  the  plug  away,  saying :  4  That  s  tbe 
end  of  it.’  4  But/  said  he,  4  that  was  only  the  begin¬ 
ning  of  it.’  Oh,  how  he  wanted  it.  He  would  lick 
his  lips,  and  he  chewed  tooth-picks  and  anything  he 
could  get  to  keep  his  jaws  going.  But  nothing  would 
satisfy  him.  His  mouth  tasted  as  if  it. were  full  of 
cold  cream  all  the  time,  and  his  very  tongue  seemed 
to  be  curled  over  with  intense  desire.  Well,  after  he 
had  worked  a  day  or  two  in  that  way  he  said  :  4 1  am 
not  going  to  suffer  like  this;  I  will  get  some.’  He 
bought  a  plug  and  said:  4  When  I  want  it  awfully 
I  will  take  it/  He  did  want  it  awfully,  and  he  took 
it  out  and — he  thought  it  was  his  better  spirit  striving 
— he  held  it  in  his  hand.  4  I  love  you,  and  1  want 
you,  but  are  you  my  master  or  am  I  yours  \  I  am  a 
man  and  you  are  a  thing;  I  am  a  man  and  you  are  a 
weed.  I  want  you,  but,  you  black  devil,  I  will  master 
you  yet  if  I  die  for  it,  for  it  never  shall  be  said  that 
I,  a  man,  was  mastered  by  a  thing;  yes,  I  will/ 

“Now  there  are  persons  that  tell  us  that  it  is  harder 
to  give  up  the  use  of  tobacco  than  the  use  of  drink. 
Do  you  believe  it?  Do  you  believe  it ?  I  grant  you 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


305 


it  may  be  to  a  man  that  takes  one  glass  of  ale  once  a 
day,  and  does  not  care  whether  he  takes  it  or  not; 
but  when  the  appetite  lays  hold  of  a  man,  how  many 
men  in  this  assembly  to-night  can  testify  that  it  is  an 
awful  struggle — a  terrible  fight?  What  will  not  a  man 
do  and  suffer  and  give  to  get  drink?  In  my  experi¬ 
ence  of  thirty-four  years  I  have  come  across  some 
fearful  cases.  What  will  not  men  do  to  get  drink? 
I  will  give  you  one  case  as  an  illustration.  A  gentle¬ 
man  said  to  me :  ‘  It  seems  very  hard  while  I  have 
been  fighting  drink  all  my  life  it  should  come  into  my 
own  house.  Now  I  have  five  children,  four  daughters 
and  one  son.  Three  of  the  daughters  are  married 
and  my  youngest  is  living  with  me,  and  my  only  son 
is  dying  without  hope.’  He  had  delirium  tremens  a 
second  time.  The  physician,  who  told  me  the  cir¬ 
cumstances  afterward,  said  that  he  went  to  see  him. 
‘Now,’  he  said,  ‘  Charlie,  you  know’  me  ;  you  know'  I 
am  your  friend,  and  you  know  I  will  tell  you  the 
truth.  You  have  a  hard  siege  before  you,  my  boy  ; 
you  have  a  tremendous  fight;  you  have  some  suffer* 
ing  to  go  through  ;  but  I  think  I  can  pull  you  through 
it  by  my  skill  and  God’s  good  providence  and  your 
own  physical  strength  and  your  constitution.  I  think 
I  can  get  you  out ;  but  if  you  ever  stand  on  your 
feet  again,  my  boy,  never  touch  a  drop  of  liquor, 
for  if  you  do  you  will  have  all  this  come  back  again, 
and  you  need  not  send  for  me,  for  you  are  a  dead 
man.’  The  young  man  was  a  clever  young  fellow — 
smart,  as  we  say.  He  looked  up  and  said  :  ‘  Doctor, 
you  say  I  have  to  suffer.  What  do  you  know  about 


806 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


it?  What  do  you  know  about  it?  Suffer!  I  sup¬ 
pose  you  could  tell  people  how  you  take  a  man’s  leg 
off';  but  could  you  tell  how  the  man  felt  when  the 
saw  touched  the  marrow  ?  Doctor,  if  you  can  prove 
to  me  that  there  is  no  physical  suffering  in  hell,  I 
will  cut  my  throat.  Doctor,  I  have  had  great  spiders 
draw  their  soft  bodies  with  hairy  legs  all  over  my 
face  and  in  my  mouth.  I  have  had  green  flies  buzz 
in  my  ears,  crawl — ab,  ah,  ah,  they  are  coming  now,’ 
and  in  less  than  two  minutes  two  men  were  holding: 
him,  in  convulsions.  Ten  days  and  ten  nights  he 
suffered — I  was  going  to  say  the  torments  of  the 
damned — and  when  he  got  on  his  feet — the  third  day 
he  was  on  his  feet— he  went  into  a  saloon  and  said  ; 
‘Look  here,  give  me  a  little  brandy, just  a  little, 
because  I  need  it;’  and  he  gave  it  to  him.  ‘Now,’ 
said  that  father,  ‘  that  boy  is  dying  in  such  awful 
agony  that  his  friends  can  not  look  upon  him.’  Can 
you  imagine  a  power  stronger  than  that  ?  When  a 
man  undertakes  to  break  that  habit,  I  tell  you  he 
has  a  work  before  him. 

“Did  you  ever  see  a  man  fighting  drink?  Great 
beads  of  sweat  on  his  forehead,  tears  rolling  down 
his  cheeks,  blood  trickling  from  his  head  where  he 
has  bitten  his  lips  in  the  agony  of  fighting  against 
the  desire  that  cries  through  every  nerve  of  his 
system.  Gentlemen,  no  man  who  has  not  experi¬ 
enced  the  power  of  that  appetite  can  form  any  con¬ 
ception  of'  it.  My  whole  heart’s  sympathy  goes  out 
to  the  struggling  man  fighting  this  desire  for  drink. 
Now,  in  our  treatment  of  the  drunkard  we  are  very 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


307 


much  in  the  habit  of  treating  him  as  if  he  were  a 
reckless  fellow  that  did  not  care  what  became  of  him. 
Did  any  man  ever  apostrophize  drink,  and  holding 
the  glass  of  liquor  in  his  hand  say  :  4  Here  I  stand  in 
vigorous  health,  fine  physical  development,  in  ambi¬ 
tion  ;  I  have  a  mother  and  sisters  that  cling  to  me 
with  loving  affection  ;  I  am  respectable  and  respected  ; 
I  look  into  the  future  with  confidence  ;  my  ambition 
is  high  and  my  hopes  are  bright.  How  with  this  I 
will  ruin  my  health ;  with  this  I  will  blast  my  pros¬ 
pects  ;  with  this  I  will  stain  my  reputation  ;  with  this 
I  will  destroy  my  manliness ;  with  this  I  will  break 
mv  mother’s  heart;  with  this  I  will  bring  disgrace 
upon  all  who  love  me  ;  with  this  I  will  burn  out  the 
last  principle  of  violated  truth,  and  a  poor,  half  putri- 
fied  carcass,  men  shall  sweep  me  away  as  with  the 
pitiful  leavings  of  the  dram-shop,  and  in  after  years 
I  shall  be  spoken  of  with  bated  breath.  I  will  take 
my  first  step  toward  that  consummation  in  taking  this, 
my  first  glass.’  Was  there  ever  such  a  consummate 
fool?  and  yet  men  are  doing  it — doing  it  in  Boston, 
doing  it  everywhere — with  more  horror  to  themselves 
than  the  mind  of  man  can  conceive. 

“Now  the  drunkard  is  the  victim  of  the  custom  of 
society.  What  is  drunkenness,  I  ask  you  to-night  ? 
in  our  acceptation  of  the  term — I  am  not  speaking  of 
God’s  view  of  it;  we  will  come  to  that  presently.  In 
our  acceptation  of  the  term,  What  is  drunkenness  ? 
The  inability  of  man  to  stand  drink.  You  can  not 
judge  of.  a  man’s  drunkenness  by  the  quantity  he 
drinks,  but  by  the  effect  that  quantity  has  on  his 


308 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


nervous  system.  A  man  once  said  to  me:  ‘I  bate 
excess ;  a  man  that  drinks  to  excess  is  a  beast.’  I 
said  :  c  Then  I  hope  you  are  with  us.’  He  said  :  ‘  Ho ; 
1  hate  total  abstainers.  The  total  abstainer  is  cow¬ 
ardly,  and  the  man  who  drinks  to  excess  is  beastly. 
I  stand  on  the  manly  principle  of  moderation,  self- 
denial,  self-control,  and  I  say  to  young  men,  Follow 
my  example,  and  by  the  exercise  of  these  qualities 
you  will  show  your  manliness;  exercise  your  self- 
denial  and  self  control,  use  liquor  in  moderation,  and 
don’t  made  a  fool  of  yourself.’  Then  we  hear  every¬ 
where,  only  coming  to  us  sometimes  in  different 
shapes.  I  say  to  such  a  man,  what  is  excess  ? 

‘ Drinking  too  much.’  What  is  drinking  too  much? 
‘Drinking  to  excess.’  I  know  it  is,  but  I  will  ask 
you  a  plain  question:  Would  six  tumblerfuls  of 
toddy  in  a  day  be  excess  for  you  ?  4  For  me  ?  Six  ? 

In  a  day?  Well,  no.  I  think  I  could  stand  it.’ 
There  is  the  point.  Now,  according  to  that  man’s 
theory,  if  a  man  drinks  as  much  as  he  can  hold,  and 
stands  it,  that  man  is  developing,  isn’t  he?  [Laugh¬ 
ter.]  If  he  drinks  two  quarts  of  whiskey  in  a  day 
and  stands  it,  there  is  a  sign  of  self-denial  and  self- 
control  and  self-government  in  the  moderate  use  of 
intoxicating  liquor  ;  if  he  drinks  a  glass  and  does  not 
stand  it,  that  must  be  a  sign  of  the  utter  want  of  self- 
denial  and  self-control  in  the  excessive  use  of  it. 
What  is  moderation  and  what  is  excess?  In  our 
estimation  of  it — because  our  estimation  of  drunken 
ness,  when  we  come  to  look  at  what  God  says  about 
it,  is  a  very  low  estimation  of  its  iniquity — we  do 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


309 


not  think  much  of  people  who  get  intoxicated — once 
in  a  while.  Did  you  ever  hear  a  man  say:  ‘Don’t 
-call  me  a  thief;  I  will  knock  any  man  down  that 
calls  me  a  thief ;  I  know  I  steal  occasionally,  but  I 
am  not  a  thief!’  Did  you  ever  hear  a  man  say: 
‘Don’t  call  me  a  liar  ;  I  know  I  lie  once  in  a  while, 
but  I  am  not  a  liar!’  Then  a  man  says:  4  I  am  no 
drunkard ;  I  get  tight  once  in  a  while ;  I  have  been 
tight  at  musters  and  at  military  suppers  ;  but  I  am 
no  drunkard.’  Now  if  a  man  lies  once,  he  is  a  liar; 
if  he  steals  once,  he  is  a  thief;  and  you  do  not  call  a 
man  a  drunkard  till  he  gets  drunk  about  two-thirds 
of  his  time.  Simple  intoxication  is  so  common  that 
we  almost  make  sport  of  it.  I  heard  some  ladies 
once  in  a  car  talking  very  loudly,  and  one  of  them 
said  :  ‘  Oh,  it  was  perfectly  splendid  ;  I  never  laughed 
so  much  in  my  life.  We  went  to  sleigh  ride,  and 
were  going  to  have  a  dance  and  supper  at  the  hotel, 
and  some  of  those  young  men  went  to  the  bar,  and  I 
never  saw  them  get  so  drunk,  and  I  laughed  so,  he, 
he !  When  we  were  ready  to  dance,  some  of  those 
young  men  were  in  such  a  state  that  they  could  not 
dance  with  their  partners,  and  they  were  in  such  a 
state !  What  do  you  think  !  When  we  were  all 
ready  to  go  home  and  the  sleigh  drove  up,  the  land¬ 
lord  put  some  of  those  young  men  to  bed,  and  I 
laughed  so !  The  next  morning  it  was  perfectly 
splendid,  I  never  laughed  so  much  in  all  my  life.’ 
Now  here  were  a  number  of  young  men  so  drunk 
that  they  could  not  go  home  and  could  not  dance 


310 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


with  their  partners,  and  it  is  matter  for  laughter  and 
is  such  fun. 

“In  a  certain  town  in  Connecticut  a  man  came  into 
his  house  drunk.  He  had  a  little  boy  three  and  a 
half  or  four  years  of  age,  and  he  came  forward  to 
meet  him  with  both  of  his  arms  extended.  Had  the 
father  been  sober,  the  boy  would  have  been  nestling 
in  his  father’s  bosom,  but  he  was  drunk ;  he  seized 
that  boy  by  the  shoulder,  lifted  him  over  his  head, 
and  dashed  him  right  through  the  second  story  win¬ 
dow.  Sash  and  glass  and  all  went  out,  and  on  the 
paving,  among  the  mire  and  bits  of  broken  glass,  lay 
a  child  with  both  thighs  fractured.  There  is  another 
phase  of  the  fact  that  you  laugh  at,  and  that  is,  that 
when  a  man  is  drunk  he  don’t  know  what  he  is  about, 
and  whether  a  man  laughs  or  cries,  shudders  or 
chuckles,  whether  a  man  holds  his  sides  with  merri¬ 
ment  or  the  marrow  in  his  bones  stands  stone  cold, 
drunkenness  is  debasing,  degrading,  imbruting,  blast¬ 
ing,  and  scathing  to  everything  that  is  bright  and 
noble  and  manly  and  Godlike  in  a  human  being, 
whether  you  laugh  or  cry.  [Applause.] 

“Now  a  great  many  people  say  that  a  man  who 
would  throw  his  child  out  of  the  window  is  a  brute.. 
Ah,  my  friends,  it  is  very  easy  to  call  men  brutes.  I 
worked  for  thirty-five  years  among  the  drunkards, 
among  criminals,  and  never  found  a  brute  among  them 
yet,  never.  Dickens  has  said  somewhere  in  one  of  his 
works,  4  Mrs.  Toggers  was  a  hard  woman,  yet  in  her 
heart,  away  up  a  great  many  pairs  of  stairs,  in  a  re¬ 
mote  corner  was  a  door,  and  on  that  door  was  written 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


311 


Woman/  So,  on  the  heart  of  the  biggest  drunkard 
in  Boston,  away  up  a  great  many  pair  of  stairs,  in  a 
remote  corner,  easily  passed  by  and  covered  over 
with  cobwebs,  is  a  door;  find  that,  and  that  is.  our 
business,  and  knock;  no  response!  What  then? 
Knock  on,  persevere ;  remember,  Christian  men  and 
women,  remember  Him  who  stood  at  the  door  of  your 
heart  till  His  locks  were  wet  with  dew,  and  remem¬ 
ber  that  this  is  a  brother  man,  and  knock  on,  and  by 
and  by  the  quivering  lip  and  the  starting  tear  will 
tell  that  you  have  been  knocking  at  the  heart  of  a 
man,  not  the  heart  of  a  brute.  I  have  often  found  in 
my  experience  that  just  as  quick  as  a  man  adopts 
the  principle  of  total  abstinence,  it  seems  to  open  the 
flood-gates  of  feeling  that  have  been  pent  up  for  so 
many  years,  or  turned  almost,  I  was  going  to  say, 
from  tenderness  into  bitterness.  I  remember  one 
little  fact.  A  man  said  to  me  :  *  The  queerest  thing 
that  ever  happened  to  me  in  my  life,  was  when  I  put 
my  name  on  the  temperance  pledge.  I  was  a  pretty 
hard  case,  my  wife  used  to  be  afraid  of  me,  and  my 
children  used  to  run  away  with  fear  when  I  came  in 
the  house ;  it  was  but  a  word  and  a  blow,  and  then  a 
kick,  and  the  minute  I  put  my  name  on  that  temper¬ 
ance  pledge,  the  thought  came  across  my  mind,  I 
wonder  what  my  wife  will  say  to  this  ?  Queer,  wasn’t 
it?  The  first  thing  I  should  think  of  was  my  wife. 
But  I  went  home,  and  I  made  up  mind  that  I  would 
tell  her  all  about  it.  Then  I  thought  if  I  went  in 
and  told  her  all  of  a  hurry  it  might  make  her  faint  or 
something  or  another  of  that  kind.  Queer,  wasn’t  it? 


312 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


Another  time  I  would  have  went  home  and  knocked 
her  down  and  kicked  her  up  again.  Now  I  was  going 
home  thinking  how  I  could  break  it  to  my  wife  and 
not  hurt  her  !  So  I  made  up  my  mind  I  would  break 
it  to  her  easy,  and  I  got  to  the  door ;  she  didn’t  faint 
away  ;  I  saw  her  leaning  over  the  embers  of  the  fire; 
she  didn’t  look  up ;  I  suppose  she  expected  a  blow  or 
a  curse  as  usual,  and  I  said,  ‘  Mary.’  She  didn’t 
turn;  I  said,  4  Mary.’  ‘  Well,  Dick,  what  is  it?’  I 
said,  ‘Mary.’  4  Well,  what  is  it?’  4  Can  not  you 
guess,  Mary?’  And  she  looked  round  at  me,  her 
face  was  so  white.  4 1  say,  Mary.’  ‘Well?’  ‘I 
have  been  to  the  meeting,  and  put  my  name  down  on 
the  pledge,  and  taken  my  oath  I  never  will  take 
another  drop.’  She  was  on  her  feet  in  a  minute.  She 
didn’t  faint  away,  poor  soul;  and  as  I  held  her  I 
didn’t  know  but  she  was  dead,  and  I  began  to  cry, 
and  she  was  not  dead ;  she  opened  her  eyes,  and  got 
her  arms  right  round  my  neck,  and  pulled  me  down 
on  my  knees,  the  first  time  I  remember  ever  going 
on  my  knees  since  I  was  a  boy,  and  said,  4  Oh,  God, 
bless  my  poor  husband,’  and  I  said,  ‘  Amen.’  And 
she  said,  4  Help  him  to  keep  that  pledge,’  and  I  said, 
‘Amen,’ and  she  kept  on  praying,  and  I  kept  on  hal¬ 
looing,  and  you  never  heard  a  Methodist  halloa  like 
me,  until  I  could  not  speak  a  word  I  was  so  hoarse. 
It  was  the  first  time  we  ever  knelt  together,  but  it 
was  not  the  last.’  I  could  give  you  scores  of  just 
such  cases.  I  spoke  once  to  an  audience  of  outcasts. 
It  is  an  awful  sight  to  see.  There  were  two  persons 
came  up  to  sign  the  pledge.  You  never  saw  such  a 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


313 


couple  ;  I  could  not  describe  them — indescribable ; 
the  woman’s  dress — dress  !  She  had  some  ragged 
ribbons  tied  round  her  waist  with  a  bit  of  rope,  and 
above  her  waist  nothing  but  an  old  shawl,  that  was 
twisted  round  like  a  rope,  brought  across  her  shoul¬ 
ders,  fastened  like  a  Scotch  plaid  at  her  side,  dirty, 
brazen-faced,  hair  all  down,  her  eye  as  cold  as  a  piece 
of  gray  granite  ;  her  husband  looked  as  if  the  drink 
had  scorched  up  his  intellect,  and  he  looked  more 
like  an  idiot  than  anything  else,  but  they  signed  the 
pledge,  at  least  they  made  their  mark,  and  the  secre¬ 
tary  was  making  out  beautiful  embossed  cards;  the 
man  said:  ‘I  want  to  get  one  of  them  certificates.’ 
She  gave  him  a  nudge,  4  There  is  sixpence  to  pay  for 
them.’  1 1  want  one  of  them  certificates  to  show  that 
I  belong  to  the  society.’  There  was  every  evidence  of  a 
family  jar  going  on  between  them.  A  gentleman 
came  in  and  said:  4  Good  people  are  you  going  to 
sign  the  temperance  pledge?’  ‘  I  have  signed  it,  sir; 
me  and  my  missus,  and  that  is  my  missus,  and  we 
have  signed,  and  I  want  to  join  the  society  and  get  a 
certificate.’  4  Why  don’t  you  V  4  There  is  sixpence  to 
pay.’  4  Oh,  that  shall  make  no  difference,’  and  turn¬ 
ing  to  the  secretary  the  gentleman  said :  4  Here  is  a 
shilling,  make  out  the  certificates.’  The  woman 
looked  as  hard  as  ever,  the  certificates  were  about  to 
be  made  out,  and  the  man  was  asked  his  name,  and 
gave  it,  and  got  his  certificate,  and  then  they  asked 
the  woman  her  name ;  she  clenched  her  fists  and 
looked  straight  before  her.  4  Madam,  your  name; 
we  are  waiting  for  you,  if  you  please ;  we  would 


314 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


like  you  to  have  the  number  next  to  your  husband’s/ 
Her  husband  offered  to  give  her  name.  ‘  Ho,  no,  we 
want  it  from  the  woman  herself.  Madam,  we  are 
waiting  for  you  ;  and  at  last  she  lifted  up  her  clenched 
fists;  I  thought  it  was  to  strike  somebody,  but  it  was 
to  brush  away  a  tear,  and  then  came  another,  and 
another  ;  then  she  put  her  hands  to  her  face  and  the 
tears  ran  down  the  back  of  her  hands,  and  then  she 
suddenly  looked  round  and  unfastening  that  shawl, 
she  shook  it  out  and  spread  it  over  her  back  and  held 
it  with  both  hands  across  her  bosom.  Hot  one  word 
of  kindness  had  stirred  the  white  ashes  that  covered 
the  last  spark  of  woman,  and  she  stood  crying  like  a 
child.  I  tell  you  when  a  man  or  woman  takes  a 
turn  to  go  right,  the  very  act  of  turning  to  go  right, 
softens  the  heart  and  opens  it  to  good  impressions. 
[Applause.] 

uHow  I  want  to  speak  more  particularly  for  a  few 
minutes  to  those  who  have  suffered,  and  if  there  are 
any  here  who  are  suffering  from  the  effects  of  drink, 
you  know  as  well  as  I  can  tell  you  the  power  of  the 
appetite,  you  know  what  it  is  to  break  it  off,  you 
know  the  awful  struggle  that  there  is,  and  I  have 
heard  a  great  many  men  say,  since  Mr.  Moody  has 
been  preaching  here  and  in  Chicago  and  in  Hew  York 
and  in  Philadelphia,  that  if  the  drunkards  become 
Christians  they  can  reform  from  the  drink.  A  great 
many  men  have  said  to  me :  *  I  can  reform  without 
becoming  a  Christian.’  I  am  not  one  of  those  who 
will  say  to  you  that  you  cannot  quit  drink  unless  you 
become  a  Christian,  but  I  say  this,  within  my  expe- 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


315 


rience,  that  nine  out  of  ten  who  try  it  fail.  There  are 
men  who  have  abstained  from  drink  all  their  lives 
who  have  been  afterward  drunkards  and  have  died 
with  no  belief  in  the  power  of  the  grace  of  God.  I 
will  give  you  an  illustration  of  what  I  mean.  A  gen¬ 
tleman  that  I  know  married  into  an  excellent  family 
(and  he  says  I  may  tell  the  story  and  give  his  name 
at  any  time)  and  got  so  far  abased  that  he  could  drink 
a  quart  of  brandy  a  day ;  how  he  stood  it  no  one 
knows  ;  a  man  of  a  strong  constitution,  splendid  phy¬ 
sique,  but  he  drank  his  quart  a  day ;  a  good  business 
man,  and  his  associates  were  very  much  distressed 
about  him.  He  had  a  lovely  wife  and  three  boys, 
and  one  day  he  was  in  the  house  and  he  said  to  his 
wife:  ‘Come,  my  dear,  and  sit  on  my  knee.’  She 
came  and  sat,  and  then  she  said :  *  If  my  husband 
didn’t  drink  I  would  be  the  happiest  woman  in  Canada.’ 

‘  W ell,’  he  said,  ‘  my  dear,  I  married  you  to  make  you 
happy,  and  I  ought  to  do  everything  I  can  to  make 
you  happy  ;  and  if  that  will  make  you  happy  I  will 
never  drink  another  drop  as  long  as  I  live.’  That 
was  seven  years  ago,  and  he  has  never  tasted  a  drop 
from  that  day  to  this.  He  cut  it  off  just  as  clean  as 
you  would  cut  off  a  piece  of  cheese.  That  man  had 
a  mighty  will ;  but  I  want  to  tell  you  something  else. 
Walking  with  him  up  Young  street  one  day  last  win¬ 
ter,  he  said:  1  You  see  that  red  saloon.  I  have  gone 
two  blocks  out  of  my  way  many  a  time  to  keep  out 
of  the  way  of  that.  When  I  come  in  sight  of  it,  and 
begin  to  feel  queer,  I  turn  right  down  Front  street ; 
but  since  I  have  got  the  grace  of  God  iu  my  heart,  I 


316 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


can  go  right  by  that  place,  and  if  I  find  the  slightest 
inclination  to  enter,  I  can  ejaculate  the  prayer,  God 
help  me,  and  I  go  right  along.’  The  first  was  a  risk ; 
the  second  was  absolute  security  and  safety.  [Ap¬ 
plause.]  It  will  not  do  for  us  to  say  a  man  cannot 
quit  drink  unless  he  becomes  a  Christian ;  but  he  is 
running  a  risk  every  day  of  his  life,  and  nine  out  of 
ten,  if  not  nineteen  out  of  twenty,  fail. 

“I  want  to  lead  men  to  this  point.  If  you  will  re¬ 
form,  exercise  all  the  power  that  you  have  left — all 
the  energy  that  you  have,  and  trust  in  God,  and  it  is 
a  sure  thing ,  sure.  In  Ohio  I  went  into  a  car,  and 
there  was  only  one  vacant  seat,  and  I  asked  a  gentle¬ 
man  if  I  could  occupy  it.  He  said:  'Yes,  Mr. 
Gough,  I  will  be  very  glad  to  have  you.’  ‘Thank 
you,  sir,  for  your  courtesy.’  He  said  :  4 1  heard  you 
speak  last  night,  and  I  went  home  to  my  wife  and 
told  her  I  would  never  drink  any  more  liquor.  I 
never  made  a  promise  like  that  before.  I  am  a  man 
of  my  word,  and  she  knew  I  meantnt,  and  I  supposed 
she  would  be  tickled  about  it  and  pleased,  but  instead 
of  that  she  looked  at  me  in  a  half  wild  sort  of  a  wayj 
and  burst  out  crying,  and  then  went  down  on  her 
knees.  I  am  not  one  of  that  sort ;  don’t  believe  I 
have  been  down  on  my  knees  since  I  was  eight  years 
old.  As  for  church,  I  don’t  know  what  the  inside  of 
it  looks  like.  When  I  saw  her  down  on  her  knees  I 
didn’t  like  it,  and  said:  ‘What  in  thunder  are  you 
on  your  knees  for,  can  not  you  hear?  ’  I  went  to 
bed  sulky,  and  when  I  got  up  in  the  morning  I  wanted 
whiskey  and  nothing  else.  I  tried  to  eat  some  break- 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


317 


fast ;  the  more  I  chewed  it  the  bigger  it  grew  ;  I  could 
not  swallow  it;  nothing  could  I  take  but  whiskey ;  I 
must  have  some  whiskey.  I  am  a  man  of  some  prop¬ 
erty,  and  I  am  going  now  to  see  a  piece  of  property 
which  I  bought  when  I  was  drunk.  I  am  going 
among  friends  and  among  temptation,  and  I  would 
rather  be  carried  home  dead  to-night  than  carried 
home  drunk.  I  am  a  man  of  my  word,  and  I  never 
broke  my  word  to  man  or  woman,  and  I  am  proud 
of  the  fact/  We  went  on  a  little  while  and  his  eyes 
began  to  fill  with  tears.  He  said :  ‘Mr.  Gough,  you 
may  think  it  very  strange  of  me,  but  I  have  been 
on  my  knees  myself  this  morning  for  over  an  hour.’ 
‘  Have  you  ?’  1  Yes,  I  have ;  the  first  time  in  my  life 

that  I  can  remember  since  I  was  a  little  boy.’  I  said: 
4  My  friend,  keep  there  and  you  will  go  home  sober 
to-night/  I  tell  you,  they  may  make  as  much  sport 
of  prayer  as  they  please,  and  say  that  it  is  abomina¬ 
ble  nonsense  to  talk  about  prayer-gauges  and  such 
stuff,  but  do  you  believe  a  man  ever  drank  a  glass 
of  liquor  while  he  was  praying  to  God  to  keep  him 
from  it  ?  Ho.  Then  there  is  a  philosophy  in  prayer, 
if  nothing  else.  Let  a  man  keep  in  the  attitude  of 
prayer  and  then  he  is  in  the  attitude  of  resistance  to 
drink.  [Applause.] 

44  Then  there  is  another  point  I  wish  to  speak  upon, 
and  for  my  life  I  would  not  conflict  in  any  way  with 
anything  that  Mr.  Moody  has  said.  I  think  he  and  I 
believe  the  same  thing,  only  there  are  two  ways  of 
putting  it.  We  have  been  told — I  don’t  know  that 
the  leaders  of  these  meetings  have  said  it — that  if  a 


318 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


man  gets  the  grace  of  God  in  his  heart,  it  takes  away 
his  appetite.  I  am  not  one  of  those  that  would  speak 
slightingly  of  the  wonderful,  illimitable,  infinite  power 
of  the  grace  of  God,  but  while  one  man  may  have 
that  appetite  taken  away  from  him  by  God’s  grace 
and  Spirit,  there  is  another  man  who  may  have  that 
appetite  left  in  him  to  try  him.  When  Paul  prayed 
that  the  thorn  might  be  removed  out  of  his  flesh,  his 
prayer  was  only  answered  by  ‘  My  grace  is  sufficient 
for  thee.’  I  know  there  are  men  that  are  good  Chris-, 
tian  men  that  are  struggling  and  fighting  to-day  against 
this  appetite.  A  minister  of  the  Gospel  writes  me: 

4 1  was  deposed  by  my  church  for  drunkenness;  some 
of  them  had  confidence  in  me  and  they  gathered  to¬ 
gether  and  formed  a  little  church,  and  we  worshipped 
in  a  hall;  I  preached  for  them  six  or  eight  weeks;  I 
then  came  down  to  Boston  to  buy  hymn-books;  I 
met  with  if  friend  who  asked  me  to  dine,  and  I  drank 
a  glass  of  wine,  and  for  three  days  I  knew  nothing, 
and  now  I  am  ruined  for  time,  and  I  fear  for  eternity.’ 
I  have  a  letter  from  a  minister  of  the  Gospel  who 
says  this : 

“  'My  grandfather  died  of  delirium  tremens,  my 
mother  died  a  drunkard  ;  I  have  inherited  an  appetite 
for  liquor.  When  I  went  into  the  ministry  I  sought 
the  hardest  work  I  could  get,  and  went  as  a  Home 
Missionary ;  I  am  now  broken  down ;  I  have  covered 
my  whole  life  with  prayer  as  with  a  garment;  I  have 
spent  hundreds  of  dollars  at  water-cure  establishments 
to  wash  this  devil  out  of  me;  I  have  gone  without 
animal  food  for  two  years,  yet  I  tremble  every  day 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


319 


on  the  awful  verge  of  the  precipice  of  indulgence.’ 
Now  mark  me.  I  don’t  say  that  the  grace  of  God  can 
not  take  away  every  particle  of  that  appetite,  as  the 
infinite  power  of  God  can  cure  every  disease,  but  what 
I  want  is  this:  that  no  man  shall  go  away  from  these 
meetings  filled  with  the  new  sensation  that  comes 
to  a  changed  man ;  when  the  battle  face  to  face 
comes,  he  is  away  from  such  influences  as  these,  and 
says:  ‘I  have  the  grace  of  God  in  my  heart;  I  have 
no  appetite  now.’  But  let  one  of  these  men  who 
have  been  drunkards  and  who  have  abstained  for  ten 
years,  take  one  glass,  and  see  if  he  hasn’t  got  the  ap¬ 
petite  there.  Like  the  slumbering  fire  of  a  volcano, 
that  one  glass  will  rise  into  fury,  drenching,  perhaps, 
body  and  soul  in  the  lava  of  drunkenness.  Now,  then, 
if  I  have  any  grace  in  my  heart — 1  know  that  that  has 
been  taught  in  this  Tabernacle — if  I  have  any  grace 
in  my  heart  it  prompts  me  to  pray,  1  Lead  me  not 
into  temptation  I  have  His  word  for  it  I  shall  never 
be  tempted  more  than  I  am  able  to  bear,  for  there  is 
a  way  of  escape  for  me  from  every  temptation,  but  if 
I  have  such  views  of  the  grace  of  God  that  will  induce 
me  to  say, 4 1  have  so  much  grace  that  I  can  now  walk 
into  the  temptation  and  that  grace  will  save  me  from 
falling,’  it  is  very  doubtful  to  me  whether  such  a  man 
has  the  true  idea  of  the  grace  of  God.  Therefore,  1 
say  to  reformed  men,  Christian  men,  your  hope  is  in 
Jesus  to  keep  yourselves  unspotted.  Touch  not, 
taste  not,  handle  not,  meddle  not  with  it.  Men  may 
say  to  me  :  ‘  Have  you  this  appetite  ?’  I  don’t  know, 
and  there  is  only  one  way  in  which  I  can  test  it,  and 


320 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


my  daily  prayer  is:-‘  God  help  me  to  avoid  the  test/ 
I  can  only  know  whether  I  have  it  by  testing  it,  so  I 
shall  die  in  blissful  ignorance  of  the  fact.  But  al¬ 
though  it  is  thirty-five  years  since  I  signed  the  pledge* 
I  will  not  put  to  my  lips  intoxicating  wine  at  the 
communion  table.  I  have  not  and  I  never  will' 
[Applause.]  I  have  known  cases  of  fearful  falling 
from  the  first  swallow,  because  drunkenness  is  a  dis¬ 
ease,  and  a  good  Christian  man  said  to  me  to-day 
only  :  ‘  Three  weeks  ago  I  had  the  most  awful  strug¬ 
gle  against  my  appetite,’ and  a  gentleman  said  to  me, 
holding  me  by  the  hand,  the  other  night :  ‘  God  bless 
you,  Mr.  Gough,  I  am  fighting  an  awful  hard  battle.7 
I  said  :  Do  you  feel  secure?’  ‘Secure  in  Jesus,  Mr. 
Gough.7  Oh,  I  tell  you,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  that  is 
the  strength  of  the  movement  to-day.  From  one 
end  of  the  land  to  the  other  do  we  hear  of  Christian 
temperance  associations.  Oh,  if  in  the  Washing¬ 
tonian  days  men  had  been  as  wise  as  God  has  helped 
them  to  be  now,  what  a  wonderful  revolution  would 
have  been  effected  then  !  It  was  a  great  tidal  wave 
that  rose  all  over  the  land,  but  there  was  an  ignoring 
of  Christ,  there  was  nothing  to  do  with  religion, 
nothing  to  do  with  praying.  I  used  to  go  to  places 
to  speak,  and  they  would  say:  ‘Mr.  Gough,  we  have 
got  a  lot  of  reformed  men  here,  and  must  not  have 
any  politics  or  religion  talked.’  It  was  so  all  over  the 
country.  And  what  was  the  result?  Washington- 
ianism  has  utterly  failed  to  gather  into  the  harvest 
those  who  might  have  been  saved  if  it  had  not 
been  for  the  repudiation  of  everything,  savoring  of 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


321 


religion  and  Christianity.  Now,  to-day ,  beside  these 
grand  principles,  we  look  into  the  future  and  see  the 
light  which  stands  tip-toe  upon  the  mountain-top 
that  shall  usher  in  the  day  of  triumph  by  and  by. 

“Ladies  and  gentlemen,  I  shall  detain  you  but  a 
minute  or  two  longer.  Some  of  us  remember  when 
we  fought  a  hard  battle  for  temperance  ;  some  of  us 
remember  the  riots  in  Faneuil  Hall,  when  the  liquor- 
sellers  declared  that  we  should  not  occupy  that  plat¬ 
form,  and  for  three  successive  nights  they  beat  us  off, 
put  their  own  chairman  in  the  meeting ;  we  remem¬ 
ber  very  well  when  it  was  a  reproach  to  be  a  temper¬ 
ance  man,  and  temperance  men  were  persecuted. 
Now  it  seems  as  if — I  was  going  to  say  it  was  becom¬ 
ing  popular,  but  I  don’t  like  that  word  popular.  I 
believe  the  principle  is  becoming  universal  from 
Maine  to  Louisiana,  and  from  the  Atlantic  to  the 
Pacific  slope,  and  it  is  because  it  was  begun  in  prayer, 
and  it  will  end  in  thanksgiving.  [Applause.]  The 
women  of  Pittsburg  before  Christmas  met  together 
for  prayer;  it  was  the  outcropping  of  the  women’s 
crusade  movement ;  that  phase  of  it  has  passed  away, 
but  the  foundation  of  the  movement  was  prayer,  and 
they  continued  praying  even  when  they  gave  up  the 
saloon  visiting,  and  what  is  the  consequence  ?  From 
60,000  to  70,000  inPittsburgand  Allegheny  City  alone, 
the  past  three  months,  have  signed  the  pledge !  It  is 
in  Cleveland,  in  Omaha,  in  all  the  West,  away  down 
in  Maine,  it  is  reaching  to  San  Francisco,  it  is  every¬ 
where,  and  Christian  men  and  women  are  being  raised 

up  to  do  battle  against  this  fearful  enemy.  Breth- 

21 


322 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


ren,  we  are  working  against  an  awful  foe,  and  it  needs 
all  our  strength  and  shrewdness  and  all  the  power  we 
have  for  the  fight.  When  we  put  our  instrumentali¬ 
ties  and  our  agencies  forth,  let  us  cry  to  God  to  help 
us  for  His  own  name’s  sake,  and  to  make  these  agen¬ 
cies,  so  feeble,  successful.  By  and  by  we  shall  stand 
in  the  circle  unharmed  and  saved,  and  the  fire  shall 
rage  harmlessly  around  us  while  we  give  the  glory  of 
our  salvation  to  Him  that  sitteth  upon  the  throne 
and  unto  the  Lamb  forever. 

“May  you  and  I  meet  in  that  land  where  the  song 
shall  be, c  Worthy  is  the  Lamb  that  was  slain  from 
the  foundation  of  the  world,’  is  my  sincere  and 
heartfelt  prayer  ;  and  I  thank  you  very  gratefully  for 
your  patience  and  courtesy  to  me  to-night.”  [Pro¬ 
longed  applause]. 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


323 


PART  IV- IMPORTANT  FACTS, 

INCIDENTS  AND  EXPERIENCES 

OF 

REFORMED  MEN. 

CHAPTER  XXVII. 

STORMING  THE  DEVIL’S  DEN. — FRANK  MURPHY  IN 
RAMCAT  ALLEY. — MARRIAGE. — DISPATCH. 

In  evidence  of  the  unselfishness  and  extensive¬ 
ness  of  Mr.  Murphy’s  efforts  for  the  amelioration  of 
the  condition  of  his  fellow-man,  as  well  as  on  account 
of  its  pecular  character,  we  give  place  to  the  follow¬ 
ing  from  the  Daily  Express ,  of  Philadelphia  : 

a  Midnight  witnessed  an  impressive  scene.  Frank 
Murphy,  escorted  by  Sergeant  Pearson  and  a  couple 
of  police  officers,  and  accompanied  by  a  full  delegation 
of  newspaper  men,  was  standing  in  the  garret  of  the 
tenement  house  on  Kamcat  alley  and  St.  Mary  street. 
Lying  on  the  floor  (some  in  a  nude  condition)  and 
standing  around  him  were  colored  and  white  women. 
Some  of  the  latter  hid  their  faces  in  their  hands, 
while  others  welcomed  the  visitors. 


324 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


u  £  I  am  married,  and  my  name  is  Mrs.  Annie  How¬ 
ard/  said  a  fair-haired  woman,  with  a  soft  voice.  ‘I 
have  seen  better  days,  and  I  still  trust  in  the  Al¬ 
mighty.  I  love  my  husband,  and  he  is  good  to  me.’ 

“  Some  of  the  rooms  were  even  wretched,  and  the 
inmates  sullen  and  constrained,  while  in  others  Mr. 
Murphy  was  greeted  with  great  cordiality. 

u  The  ‘  bosses  7  of  the  rooms  paid  a  rental  of  $4.50 
to  $7  per  month.  They  sub-let  them  to  several  families. 
Some  were  occupied  by  eight  or  ten  persons.  The 
atmosphere  was  so  close  and  foetid  that  several  of  the 
visitors  were  forced  to  seek  the  fresh  air  of  the  street. 

“  4  These  properties  are  owned  by  a  wealthy  retired 
Market  street  merchant/  said  the  sergeant.  4  He  is 
now  in  Europe  living  on  the  proceeds.  The  agent  is 
a  Mr.  Dunlap,  and  the  rental  of  the  two  buildings 
amounts  to  $2,100  a  year/ 

A  MARRIAGE  ARRANGED. 

“In  one  of  the  rooms  Mr.  Murphy  was  most  cor¬ 
dially  received  by  two  fine-looking  black  men,  both 
of  whom  had  signed  the  pledge.  One  of  them  (John 
Folk)  was  a  banjo  player.  He  had  lamed  his  foot  in 
the  army. 

“  ‘  Are  you  married  to  Ellen?7  asked  Mr.  Murphy, 
pointing  to  a  woman  who  was  lying  on  the  floor  with 
her  face  closely  covered  up 

44  ‘Well,  I’m  married  in  a  certain  way ;  I  ain7t  in 
the  regular  way,  because  I  ain’t  got  the  money  to 
pay  for  a  minister.  It7s  all  I  can  do  to  raise  money 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


325 


enough  to  eat ;  and  I  give  folks  I  know  a  rest  here  in 
the  room  rather  than  let  them  stay  on  the  streets. 
They  can’t  pay  because  they’ve  got  nothing.5 

“  ‘Well,  will  you  marry  her  if  I  pay  the  minister  ? 5 

“‘Oh,  yes,5  he  cried,  candidly.  ‘That  is  if  she 
says  so;  I  love  her  well  enough.5 

“  ‘  Will  you  consent,  Ellen  ?’ 

“  ‘  Yes,  I’d  like  to  very  much,’  she  replied  as  she 
threw  the  bedclothes  off  her  face,  and  accepted  Mr. 
Murphy’s  extended  hand. 

“6  Then,  come  up  to  the  Annex  building  on  next 
Sunday  morning  and  we’ll  have  a  marriage  ;  I’ll  pay 
the  minister,5  said  Mr.  Murphy. 

“John  took  down  his  banjo  and  played  ‘  Down  the 
Swanee  River,’  while  Mr.  Murphy’s  son,  who  accom¬ 
panied  him,  passed  around  the  hat  and  a  dollar  was 
collected  for  the  player. 

“  This  put  John  in  great  glee,  and  he  sang  4  Yaller 
Girl  Picking  Cotton.5 

AMONG  THE  BARREL  HOUSES. 

“  It  was  almost  too  late  an  hour  for  the  visit,  but 
Mr.  Murphy  had  been  detained  from  starting  out  at 
half-past  ten  o’clock,  as  had  been  arranged.  Many 
of  the  barrel  houses  were  closed,  but  Mr.  Murphy 
visited  those  that  were  open,  and  was  everywhere  re¬ 
ceived  with  respect.  Many  said  they  had  heard  him 
speak,  and  all  appeared  to  have  a  cordial  welcome  for 
him. 

“  The  reporter  left  them  still  climbing  the  rickety 


326 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


stairs  at  one  o’clock  this  morning.  It  was  surprising 
to  see  so  few  drunken  persons. 

11 1 1  guess  they  must  have  known  Murphy  was  com¬ 
ing  and  kept  on  their  good  behavior,  observed  an 
officer. 

u  1  How  can  a  man  stand  over  a  range  all  day  with¬ 
out  taking  a  drop  of  porter  now  and  then?’  asked 
one  respectable  colored  man  who  had  been  a  sailor. 

“  ‘  Take  coffee  instead/  replied  Mr.  Murphy.  4  Its 
like  a  steamboat.  If  you  pile  on  grease  and  oil  you 
will  kindle  a  hot  fire,  but  it  soon  wants  replenishing; 
but  put  in  good  coal  and  you  have  a  solid  fire.  So  it 
is  with  coffee  and  bread.  It’s  substantial,  while  the 
porter  and  gin  give  nourishment  for  only  a  time.’ 

“  *  Dat’s  de  God’s  truf/  exclaimed  John  Green,  the 
ex-sailor  ;  ‘  I  guess  I’ll  have  to  try  it.  Anyhow  I’ll 
be  up  to  your  Sunday  breakfast,  Mr.  Murphy.’ 

SPECIAL  DISPATCH. 

a  Thursday,  3  o’clock,  a.  m. — Francis  Murphy  and 
party  have  just  returned  from  their  excursion  to 
Hell’s  Half-acre.  If  any  man  is  hard-worked  in  the 
Lord’s  service,  it  is  Temperance  Murphy.” 


FLOWERS. 

These  beautiful  little  objects  in  nature  have  had 
their  share  of  attention  in  the  work  of  Francis  Mur- 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


327 


phy.  He  is  not  only  given  to  pretty  little  button¬ 
hole  bouquets,  but  they  do  not  appear  at  all  amiss,  or 
show  anything  like  a  strained  association,  when 
pinned  upon  his  coat  and  in  close  proximity  to  his 
genial  face. 

Some  of  the  best  of  his  converts  have  been  caught 
by  them,  thus  proving  Mr.  Murphy’s  claims  for  con¬ 
stant  little  acts  of  kindness  toward  the  fallen. 

One  of  these  we  will  here  make  mention  of.  At 
the  Philadelphia  Tabernacle,  on  the  evening  of  May 
31st,  1877,  a  Mr.  McMullan,  who  had  just  signed  the 
pledge,  said  that  he  had  been  brought  to  the  step 
through  the  presentation  of  a  flower  by  Mr.  Murphy. 
He  then  promised  to  be  present  in  the  evening  and 
sign  the  pledge.  He  had  redeemed  that  promise. 

Another  instance,  is  that  of  William  J.  Jones,  Esq. 
He  was  encountered  while  intoxicated,  by  Mr.  Mur¬ 
phy,  upon  the  public  streets.  The  lecturer  stepped 
up  to  him,  and  taking  the  little  bouquet  from  his 
breast  put  it  upon  that  of  the  inebriate.  The  effect 
was  to  induce  the  well-known  “  Deacon  ”  to  attend 
Mr.  Murphy’s  meeting  and  sign.  In  regard  to  this 
case,  we  will  add,  there  are  few  men  in  this  city  or 
State  better  known  than  “  Deacon  ”  Jones,  as  he  is 
familiarly  called.  He  has  for  many  years  been  con¬ 
nected  with  the  press.  At  one  time  he  held  an  hon¬ 
orable  position,  but,  from  a  too  great  indulgence  in 
intoxicating  liquors,  his  power  and  influence  as  a 
writer  became  gradually  weakened.  A  man  of 
ability,  had  he  abstained  from  the  intoxicating  bowl, 
he  would  to  day  have  occupied  a  high  place,  com- 


328 


THE  T  RUE  PATH. 


manding  the  respect  of  the  people,  while  peace  and 
plenty,  happiness  and  contentment  would  have  been 
his.  Faithful  to  his  pledge,  he  will  soon  take  the 
position  which  is  fitted  for  him  and  become  a  most 
useful  citizen.  For  years  the  efforts  of  his  pen  have 
been  made  under  the  influence  of  liquor,  and  most 
grievously  against  himself.  This  reformation  may 
prove  a  monument  to  the  power  of  Francis  Murphy. 


One  of  the  noblest  instances  of  faithfulness  and  de¬ 
votion  in  the  present  temperance  struggle,  is  found 
in  the  able  and  affable  Secretary  of  the  National 
Christian  Temperance  Union,  Mr.  John  L.  Linton. 
He  had  acquired  wealth  and  influence  through  his 
superior  skill  and  intelligence  in  business,  and  not 
long  since  erected  a  very  elegant  home,  at  a  delight¬ 
ful  spot,  on  the  banks  of  the  Delaware,  not  far  from 
Philadelphia.  Having  inherited  a  hospitable  and 
genial  nature,  he  prepared  for  the  generous  entertain¬ 
ment  of  his  friends,  and  had  built  in  his  home  a  wine- 
cellar,  costing  in  the  neighborhood  of  $10,000.  That 
we  may  furnish  the  fact  intended  in  these  remarks, 
as  briefly  as  possible,  we  will  use  the  words  of  Mr. 
L.,  and  say  that  “  It  was  the  wine-cellar  that  caused 
the  loss  of  the  entire  home,  and  the  temporary  ruin 
of  its  builder  and  owner.”  To  day  Mr.  Linton  is  an 
active,  well-known,  efficient  temperance  man  ;  is  high 
up  in  the  scale,  among  those  who  have  found  refuge 
in  reform ;  and  holds  also  an  honorable  place  among 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


329 


the  most  active  of  the  philanthropic  men  in  the  front 
rank  of  Murpliyism.  He  has,  through  many  months, 
given  his  entire  time,  and  freely  of  his  money — of 
which  he  has  yet  a  share — for  the  success  of  the  Re¬ 
form  Movement ;  and  has  been  instant,  in  season,  and 
out  of  season,  in  individual  sacrifices,  refusing  all  com¬ 
pensation  therefor.  Such  men  cannot  be  kept  back  ; 
and  we  predict  for  him  something  of  a  palatial  char¬ 
acter,  both  here  and  hereafter,  minus  the  wine-cellar. 


“the  floggers  flogged.” 

In  the  State  of  Wisconsin  a  great  work  has  been 
inaugurated  by  Rev.  Gr.  S.  Allen,  of  Colorada.  Hav¬ 
ing  begun  the  campaign  in  the  State  Prison,  in  which 
275  out  of  350  convicts  signed  the  Murphy  pledge, 
and  donned  the  “badge  of  blue,”  the  work  spread 
quickly,  until  a  large  portion  of  the  State  yielded  to 
its  influence.  From  professional  men  of  celebrity, 
down  to  noted  bruisers,  every  grade  and  condition 
were  soon  in  the  embrace  of  the  now  distinguished 
goddess  Reform.  An  incident,  of  some  interest  in 
the  work,  is  furnished  us  in  an  uprising  at  Sheboygan 
Falls.  There,  a  few  years  ago,  a  Methodist  Minister 
was  fearfully  beaten,  by  a  mob,  for  having  dared  to 
speak  from  the  pulpit  against  intemperance.  In  this 
movement  a  great  meeting  was  held  in  the  city,  and 
the  most  signal  of  all  successes  was  the  result.  The 

O 

“floggers”  themselves  were  flogged,  as  has  been  re- 


380 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


marked,  and  a  new  condition  presented.  Bankers’ 
merchants,  business  men,  mechanics,  working-men, 
and  tavern  loungers,  were  dredged  in  promiscuously, 
until  the  place  was  so  cleaned  that  an  opponent  of 
temperance  would  have  perhaps  met  with  the  fate  of 
the  Methodist  Minister  referred  to,  had  he  essayed  a 
speech. 


RESULTS  OF  THE  MURPHY  MOVEMENT. 

The  following  paragraphs  are  from  an  Evening 
Daily  of  the  Quaker  City  : 

u  Pen  cannot  fully  portray  the  glorious  results  ac¬ 
complished  by  Mr.  Francis  Murphy  in  the  temper¬ 
ance  movement  inaugurated  by  him ;  but  now  and 
again,  some  of  them  come  prominently  to  notice,  and 
are  deserving  of  more  than  ordinary  commendation. 
Amongst  the  latter,  we  would  now  refer  t<f  the  prac¬ 
tical  efforts  put  forth  by  Mr.  Charles  P.  Hower,  busi¬ 
ness  manager  of  the  Merchants’  Advertising  Com- 
pany. 

a Although  quite  a  young  man,  his  devotion  to  the 
cause  of  temperance  has  been  so  earnest  and  stead¬ 
fast,  that  he  deserves  a  statue  of  gold  erected  to  him. 
Nowhere  in  history  can  be  found  a  similar  case, 
where  one  so  humble  and  modest,  in  so  short  a  space 
of  time  (less  than  three  months)  secured  employment 
for  over  one  hundred  men  who  had  signed  the  pledge. 
This  is  practical  Christianity,  and  indicates  genuine 
philanthropy,  and  the  spirit  of  a  public  benefactor. 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


331 


“  In  this  single  instance,  what  benefits  have  result¬ 
ed  from  Mr.  Murphy’s  labors  in  this  city  ?  God  has 
showered  upon  him  his  richest  blessings,  and  we  sin¬ 
cerely  trust  that  there  will  be  no  cessation  in  the 
labors  of  all  interested  in  the  cause  of  fallen  human¬ 
ity,  until  our  city,  State  and  Nation  have  become  the 
citadels  of  temperance.” 


“the  hardest  drinker.” 

The  manner  in  which  the  Murphy  men  are  eon- 
ducting  their  onslaught,  against  the  greatest  of  evils, 
will  be  seen  in  the  following  sentences  from  a  speaker 
at  a  meeting  in  the  West : 

“  Mr.  Raper,  being  called  for,  said,  he  had  been  at 
Versailles  to  hold  a  meeting  in  the  interest  of  tem¬ 
perance,  lately.  He  inquired  of  a  minister,  ‘  Who  is 
the  hardest  drinker  in  the  place  V  He  was  answered  : 
‘He  lives  two  miles  from  here.’  They  procured  a 
conveyance  and  went  to  see  him.  The  man  was 
greatly  surprised  when  told  that  they  wanted  him  to 
come  to  the  meeting  and  sign  the  pledge.  He  was 
prevailed  on,  and  did  come,  and  did  sign  the  pledge. 
Since  then  he  learned  that  that  man  and  others  whom 
be  influenced  had  been  converted  and  become  Chris¬ 
tians.” 


“MR.  MURPHY’S  POCKET-BOOK  CONVERTED.” 

“  At  a  recent  meeting,  in  the  Iron  City,  several  men 
testified  to  the  value  and  sincerity  of  the  great  Apos- 


332 


THE  TRUE  PATH  . 


tie’s  labors.  Captain  Sturdivant  gave  a  brief  history 
of  the  life  and  conversion  of  Mr.  Murphy,  and  bore 
the' highest  testimony  to  his  character  and  liberality. 
The  people  need  not  be  afraid  of  Mr.  Murphy  becom¬ 
ing  rich.  His  pocket-book  was  converted  along  with 
his  head  and  heart.  Mr.  Swartzwalder  spoke  in  high 
terms  of  Mr.  Murphy’s  love  for  the  fallen  and  of  the 
great  happiness  he  had  brought  to  thousands  of  once 
happy  homes.” 


“SUCCESS  BY  THE  LAW  OF  LOVE.” 

At  a  meeting  in  the  Queen  City  of  the  West,  Mr. 
Best  of  Pittsburg,  said :  44  He  didn’t  intend  to  make  a 
speech,  for  he  thought  if  he  should  he  would  fail. 
He  signed  the  pledge  in  Pittsburg,  and  had  kept  it 
inviolate.  Although  it  was  a  hard  task,  he  under¬ 
took  it,  God  being  his  helper ;  and  he  knew  that 
with  that  help  and  the  sympathy  of  good  men,  those 
who  sign  the  pledge  can  and  will  succeed. 

“It  is  not  only  the  redemption  of  the  drunkard  we 
labor  for — there  is  the  poor  mother’s  heart  to  be 
made  glad,  the  poor  weeping  wife’s  tears  to  be  dried, 
the  little  children  to  be  lifted  up.  His  own  four  little 
children  had  suffered  enough,  through  his  intemper¬ 
ance,  to  have  killed  them.  There  is  one  law  that 
makes  men  better,  and  that  is  God’s  law  of  love. 
Human  legislation  has  failed  in  this  matter,  but  this 
law  of  love  will  succeed.” 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


333 


MURPHY  AND  THE  “FIRE  SHARPS.” 

A  recent  visit  to  some  of  the  fire  houses,  in  Phila¬ 
delphia,  led  Mr.  Murphy  to  a  new  idea.  “  Why  does 
such  a  man  as  you  drink?”  he  asked  of  a  fine,  stal¬ 
wart  “  laddie,”  whose  face  bore  slight  indications  of 
recent  dissipation. 

“Well,  you  see,”  was  the  reply,  “we  must  have 
some  stimulant  when  we  are  soaking  wet  at  a  fire, 
after  being  up  all  night,  and  that  keeps  up  the  ap¬ 
petite.” 

“  Wouldn’t  a  good  cup  of  coffee  and  a  sandwich 
do  as  well,  if  not  much  better?” 

“Yes,”  was  the  laughing  response  of  all  hands. 
a  But  how  in  the  world  are  we  to  get  the  coffee  and 
sandwiches  at  midnight  or  daybreak,  when  buildings 
are  threatened  on  all  sides?”  “You  should  be 
served  by  the  authorities.  Come  up  to  the  meetings 
and  sign  the  pledge  in  a  body,  and  I  will  endeavor 
to  create  an  interest  in  the  public  mind  so  that  you 
will  be  supplied  with  a  good  cup  of  coffee  and  plenty 
of  sandwiches,  as  you  are  holding  the  pipe  or  passing 
on  the  water.” 

“Go  ahead,”  was  the  response.  “We  are  with 
you.” 


“  REFORMERS  RECOGNIZED.” 

At  a  western  meeting,  Mr.  Hall  told  “  of  an  excur¬ 
sion  of  a  fire  company  to  Sandusky,  a  few  years  ago. 


334 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


Every  man  of  the  fire  company  left  Pittsburg  drunk, 
remained  drunk  while  in  Sandusky,  returned  home 
drunk,  and  some  of  them  kept  drunk  for  several 
weeks  after  they  got  home.  He  was  one  of  the  com¬ 
pany.  After  Mr.  Murphy  had  taken  him  up,  and  set 
him  to  talking,  an  invitation  came  from  Sandusky 
for  workers.  He  and  a  Mr.  Hill  were  detailed  to  go 
there.  He  went  reluctantly.  On  their  arrival  they 
were  recognized  ;  and,  the  result  was,  the  citizens 
stood  aloof  from  them  for  about  ten  days.  But  when 
the  people  saw  that  they  behaved  themselves,  they 
began  to  visit  their  meetings,  and  before  they  left, 
2,500  persons  had  signed  the  pledge ;  and  at  an  elec¬ 
tion  since,  a  Murphy  man  was  elected  Mayor  of  the 
city.” 


“  a  mother’s  love.” 

A  temperance  worker  recently  spoke  as  follows, 
at  a  Cincinnati  meeting  : 

“  The  good  book  says,  ‘  Can  a  mother  forget  her 
suckiner  child  ?’  He  told  of  scenes  he  had  witnessed 
in  which  women  do  forget  their  sucking  children. 
Can  they  do  it?  Yes,  they  can,  and  they  do.  Dr. 
Guthrie,  the  well  known  Scotch  clergyman,  was 
offered  a  baby  by  its  mother  for  a  glass  of  whisky. 

u  A  mother’s  love !  He  illustrated  it  by  a  most 
thrilling  account  of  a  child  carried  away  by  an  eagle 
to  its  eyrie  on  a  mountain  crag.  Several  attempts 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


385 


had  been  made  to  scale  that  crag  and  save  the  child, 
but  all  failed.  At  last  the  mother  made  the  attempt 
and  succeeded.  What  nerved  her  to  the  effort  ?  A 
mother’s  love.  And  yet  there  are  fathers  and  mothers 
in  this  city  who  are  bartering  away  that  love  for  that 
which  robs  them  of  everything  dear  to  humanity.” 


“slow  progress.” 

A  Mr.  Ludlow,  of  Springfield,  Ohio,  said,  at  a 
Murphy  meeting,  a  few  weeks  since,  “  He  sometimes 
got  discouraged,  but  he  remembered  that  his  old  class- 
leader  had  said  to  him  when  he  was  a  boy,  and  felt 
somewhat  discouraged  at  his  slow  religious  progress, 
‘Never  mind,  lad,  you’ll  get  out  of  the  brush  by  and 
by.’  He  related  many  instances  of  the  evil  effects  of 
using  intoxicating  liquors,  upon  men,  a  long  list  of 
whose  names  he  could  call,  who  had  spent  fortunes 
and  gone  down  to  drunkard’s  graves.  In  Springfield 
they  have  had  but  one  to  fall  out  of  five  thousand. 
There  is  something  in  this  movement  that  has  never 
been  in  any  other.  He  saw  one  hundred  men  in  a 
Bible  class  that  had  never  been  in  a  Sunday-school  in 
their  lives  before.” 


336 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


CHAPTER  XXYIII 

A  CHARITABLE  GIFT. 

While  Captain  Cyrus  Sturdivant  and  Mr.  R.  0. 
Stevenson  were  on  their  way  from  a  Murphy  meeting 
in  the  Quaker  city,  they  accidently  met  with  a  woman 
and  her  drunken  husband  on  the  sidewalk,  the  former 
trying  to  help  her  tottering  companion  along.  Im¬ 
mediately  they  stepped  up,  and  offered  their  assis¬ 
tance,  which  was  accepted  by  the  wearied  woman. 
They  accompanied  the  pair  to  their  home,  where 
there  was  every  indication  of  the  very  impoverishing 
effects  of  a  course  of  inebriation.  In  the  room,  into 
which  they  were  ushered,  there  was  neither  a  chair 
nor  block  to  sit  upon.  Then  the  wife,  who  seemed  to 
be  possessed  with  something  of  intelligence,  narrated 
to  these  kind-hearted  men  how  she  had  been  reduced, 
through  rum,  from  affluence  to  penury  and  want ; 
whereupon  Captain  Sturdivant  gave  the  woman  about 
one-half  of  the  small  amount  he  had  with  him  at  the 
time.  On  the  following  morning  the  poor  woman 
purchased  some  beef-steak  and  coffee,  and  prepared 
herself  and  husband  a  comfortable  breakfast  out  of 
the  very  charitable  gift  of  the  previous  evening.  The 
husband  was  greatly  surprised,  at  the  inviting  repast, 
and  wanted  to  know  “how  she  had  come  by  it?” 
She  replied,  that  “the  gentlemen  from  the  temper¬ 
ance  meeting,  who  had  helped  him  home,  had  kindly 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


337 


furnished  the  means  for  it.”  He  was  so  overcome 
by  the  act  of  generosity,  that  he  determined  to  attend 
the  Tabernacle  meeting  and  sign  the  pledge.  At  the 
next  opportunity,  he  gave  his  name  to  the  reform 
movement,  and  is  now  one  of  the  thousands  who  from 
having  lived  dissipated  lives,  are  given  to  soberness 
and  industry. 


HOW  AN  IRISHMAN  QUIT  SELLING  LIQUOR. 

The  following  incident  was  narrated  by  Mr.  Mur¬ 
phy  in  one  of  his  Tabernacle  talks: 

“I  was  speaking  upon  the  subject  of  temperance  in 
Hew  Brighton,  Connecticut.  After  I  got  through,  a 
lady  came  upon  the  platform,  and,  taking  me  to  one 
side,  said:  ‘I  wish  you  would  please  come  to  my 
home.’  Well  I  was  delighted  to  hear  the  sweet 
musical  voice  of  my  countrywoman  and  I  went  home 
with  her  and  her  beautiful  daughter  Mary.  She  said, 
before  we  reached  home,  ‘  I  wish  you  could  see 
James,  my  husband.’ 

“He  had  bought  property  in  Hew  Brighton  and  it 
had  since  increased  very  rapidly  in  value;  it  had 
cost  only  two  thousand  dollars  and  it  was  now  worth 
forty  thousand.  He  was  a  moulder  by  trade,  and 
came  into  wealth,  and,  being  possessed  of  true  Irish 
hospitality,  he  was  always  ready  with  a  drop  of  the 
creature.  Having  arrived  at  his  house,  his  wife 

called  to  him, 6  Come  down,  James  O’Connor.’  James 

22 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


% 


338 

came  down,  and  I  said  :  4  How  are  you.’  He  looked 
kindly  into  my  face  and  said,  ‘  I  am  all  right.'  I 
said,  ‘James,  I  am  afraid  you  are  all  wrong.’ 
‘Never  mind,’  said  he,  ‘just  take  a  drop.’  So  he 
went  to  the  pantry  and  brought  out  his  bottle  in 
grand  style,  ‘  and  now  ’  said  he,  *  give  us  a  little 
boiling  water  and  some  sugar.’  ‘  If  you  please,’ 
said  I,  ‘I  can  not  touch  it.’  ‘Ah,’  said  he,  ‘you’re 
the  temperance  man?’  ‘Yes,’  said  I.  We  then 
talked  and  reasoned  together.  During  this  time,  I 
noticed  a  little  mark  over  the  forehead  of  the  mother, 
and  she  had  a  welt  of  her  hair  brought  down  to  cover 
it.  I  said  :  ‘  Mrs.  O’Conner,  what  happened  to  your 
face?’  She  said,  ‘Don’t  say  anything  about  that.’ 
A  countryman  of  mine  sold  her  husband  liquor; 
there  he  spent  his  nights ;  and  that  was  the  origin  of 
the  mark.  I  said  to  her :  ‘  Will  you  tell  me  where 
this  countryman  lives?’  She  told  me,  and  I  spoke  to 
him  about  it.  He  was  a  true  Irishman,  and  he  loved 
the  family,  and  he  said:  ‘If  it  has  made  James 
O’Conner  put  that  mark. on  his  wife,  never  shall  I 
again  sell  a  drop  of  intoxicating  liquor.’  And  he 
never  did,  and  he  has  made  a  respectable  living 
since  he  quit  selling  it.” 


“  RUM  KILLED  THEM.” 

The  following  affecting  incident  was  also  told  by 
Mr.  Murphy: 


GOSPEL  TEMPEKANCE. 


339 


u  A  dear  countryman  came  to  America  in  search 
of  a  fortune.  He  had  a  beautiful  family,  and  was  a 
stone  mason  by  trade.  He  had  brothers  in  the  city 
of  Portland  who  represented  a  large  amount  of  wealth, 
and  he  thought  he  would  go  into  the  liquor  traffic. 

“My  brother  engaged  in  the  business.  He  had  a 
beautiful  son  whom  he  took  in  the  business  with  him ; 
and  he  had  two  beautiful  girls.  He  commenced  in 
the  liquor  traffic  and  he  made  a  large  amount  of 
money.  When  his  son  was  twenty  years  of  age  he 
had  twenty  thousand  dollars’  worth  of  property.  His 
son  drank  constantly  and  kept  on  drinking.  Finally, 
at  the  age  of  twenty-one,  this  boy,  this  darling  of  his 
life,  was  taken  with  the  delirium  tremens  and  died; 
his  father  was  at  his  side.  His  dear  mother,  who  had 
been  so  proud  of  him,  worried  and  walked  up  and 
down  her  home  until  she  sickened  and  died  from  a 
broken  heart.  I  was  personally  acquainted  with  the 
father.  I  knew  him  to  be  a  genuine  noble-hearted 
Christian  man.  But  he  commenced  to  drink,  and  to 
such  an  excess  that  his  own  two  brothers  had  him 
arrested  and  carried  to  the  county  jail. 

u  While  he  was  incarcerated  I  made  it  my  duty  to 
visit  him.  I  wish  I  had  the  power  of  a  Dickens, 
to  describe  the  man.  He  was  in  one  of  those  little 
dark  cells,  and  had  nothing  on  him  but  his  pantaloons, 
his  hair  was  standing  up  on  his  head,  his  hands  and 
fingers  looked  liked  the  claws  of  an  eagle,  they  were 
so  spare  and  thin.  When  he  saw  me  he  came  to  the. 
door,  and  in  his  sweet  loving  way  he  said,  4  Ah,  Mr 
Murphy,  that’s  you.’  And  the  tears  ran  down  his 


340 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


cheeks  as  he  spoke  of  his  darling  boj.  Poor  Willie 
died,  whipped  into  eternity  with  the  scorpions  chasing 
him,  whilst  his  father  held  him. 

“His  sister  was  one  of  the  finest  girls  in  Portland, 
and  she,  poor  Mary,  took  to  drink,  and  died  from  the 
effects  of  intoxicating  liquor.  I  have  attended  the  fu¬ 
nerals  of  the  father,  mother,  son  and  daughter  ;  and 
I  saw  them  placed  side  by  side  in  the  grave  yard. 

44  There  is  no  marble  slab,  to-day,  to  tell  of  the  last 
resting  place  of  this  mother  and  her  children,  but  if 
the  truth  could  be  written  over  their  graves,  it  would 
be  said,  ‘  Rum  killed  them/  ” 


“the  right-about-face.” 

This  valuable  incident  was  furnished  by  Miss  Wil¬ 
lard,  in  her  farewell  address  at  Boston 

“I  carry  many,  many  sweet  memories  away  from 
Boston  of  true,  kindly  girls  who  clasped  my  hands 
and  said :  4  We  will  try  to  do  all  we  can  to  help  the 
world  along;’ of  others,  many  of  older  years,  who 
have  showered  blessing  upon  my  head  ;  of  men,  kind 
and  brave,  who  have  told  me  4  God  bless  you but 
there  is  one  thing,  the  sweetest  that  has  come  to  me 
in  Boston.  A  young  man, gentle,  cultured,  a  gradu¬ 
ate  of  Harvard  University,  with  everything  at  his 
feet,  everything  to  be  enjoyed  ;  and  yet  4  the  club- 
room,  you  know.  The  Senior’s  party,  you  know/ 
comes  along  so  casually  that  people  don’t  think  any- 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


341 


thing  about  its  influences  until  it  ensnares  a  man. 
Harvard  had  educated  him  in  all  that  her  cultured 
curriculum  could  give  ;  but  she  had  not  educated  him 
in  that  belief  which  will  recreate  a  life  and  lift  one 
up  in  Christ  Jesus.  ‘To  please  his  young  wife/  he 
said,  he  came  to  the  inquiry  meeting — to  please  her 
because  she  had  been  so  kind ;  he  was  sorry  to  say 
he  had  not  always  led  the  life  he  ought  to  have  led. 
Right  there  I  looked  him  in  the  face  and  said :  ‘  Can 
you,  will  you  hold  this  belief  that  you  have  ?  Will 
you  take  Christ  for  your  Master  V  ‘  What  ?  Do 
you  ask  me  that?  Why,  I  was  scoffing  at  Moody’ in 
the  Tabernacle  only  last  night ;  and  you  ask  me  to 
put  away  the  whole  tide  of  years  and  years — the  mo¬ 
mentum  of  which  bears  me  right  along?  Why  what 
do  you  mean?  I  came  here  to  please  my  wife.’  ‘  Yes; 
but  there  is  but  one  bell  that  rings  from  G-enesis  to 
Revelation,  and  its  voice  is  ‘To-day — to-day,  if  you 
would  hear  his  voice  harden  not  your  heart.’  Re¬ 
member,  probably  this  is  your  last  chance — your  only 
time.  You  set  that  interior  faculty,  your  will,  against 
the  whole  past.  God’s  spirit  will  help  that  will,  or  if 
your  will  is  weak  He  will  do  it  all  for  you,  if  you 
just  give  up  to  Him.’  ‘  Do  you  mean  that  ?’  ‘  I  do; 

I  mean  it  because  I  have  tried  it  myself  in  so  much 
of  doubt,  so  much  of  temptation  of  soul,  that  I  can 
never  tell  you  all.’  ‘I  will  this  day  come  to  Christ/ 
said  he ;  and  humbly  the  young  man  went  down  upon 
his  knees — probably  for  the  first  time  in  many  and 
many  a  year.  That  was  the  turning  point  in  his  des¬ 
tiny  ;  that  was  the  right-about-face,  which  meant  an 


342 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


exalted  manhood,  which  meant  &  happy  home,  a 
lovely  wife,  a  home  that  was  a  home  to  go  to.” 


GOING  TO  SATAN’S  DOMAINS.” 

Miss  Willard  narrates  the  following  : 

u  For  three  years  I  have  been  to  Old  Orchard  Beach 
every  summer,  and  to  several  other  places,  where 
we  continued  through  the  summer  this  work.  It 
is  not  put  away  then,  but  lasts  right  through,  and 
this  next  summer  will  be  the  same  subject — Gospel 
Temperance.  At  some  of  those  meetings  the  ladies 
said  they  wanted  some  of  our  reformed  men  to  speak, 
and  so  they  brought  out  one  man  who  represented 
one  class  to  whom  we  go  as  temperance  workers.  He 
related  his  experience,  and  told  how  he  had  been  in 
every  clime,  and  in  every  prison  in  every  place  he  had 
visited,  on  account  of  his  one  besetting  sin — drunken¬ 
ness  ;  how  he  had  been  buffeted  on  every  shore,  and 
cuffed  on  every  sea,  and  had  had  many  a  policeman  ask 
him  in  a  gruff  voice,  4  Where  are  you  going  ?’  He  said 
when  he  was  visiting  a  ship-mate  he  met  a  lady  who 
asked  him  the  same  question,  but  in  a  kind,  calm  voice : 
£  My  brother,  where  are  you  going?’  ‘Well,’  said 
he,  ‘as  near  as  I  can  find  out  I  am  going  straight  to 
his  Satanic  Majesty’s  domains.’  She  took  out  her 
Bible  and  said:  6 1  am  trying  to  go  just  the  other 
way.  These  are  my  credentials.’  In  a  short  time 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


343 


she  had  him  in  a  crowd  of  fifty  women,  and  there 
they  prayed  ;  there  they  sang 

‘  The  mistakes  of  my  life  have  been  many, 

The  sins  of  my  life  have  been  more.’ 

and  since  that  time  he  said  he  had  not  drank  a  drop. 
The  other  class  we  go  to  is  the  well-to-do ;  those  who 
have  genius  ;  those  who  have  education  ;  those  who 
have  culture.” 


HOW  THE  WOMEN  WERE  “  STARTED.” 

It  may  be  interesting  to  many  persons  to  know 
how  the  women  of  our  country  began  their  great 
efforts  against  intemperance.  The  following  is  the 
account  given  of  its  origin  by  Miss  Willard  re¬ 
cently  : 

“  A  Boston  man  went  to  Ohio,  and  in  the  town  of 
Hillsborough  lectured  on  ‘Our  Girls/  That  man 
described  how  his  mother,  after  having  been  driven 
to  desperation  by  the  intemperance  of  his  father, 
went  to  the  man  who  had  sold  him  liquor  and  asked 
him  if  she  might  pray  for  him.  He  consented,  and 
with  tears  in  his  eyes  promised  never  again  to  sell 
liquor  to  her  husband.  At  the  close  of  the  lecture  a 
Presbyterian  clergyman  arose  and  said  that  the  women 
had  heard  what  one  woman  had  done,  and  asked  that 
the  women  of  Hillsborough  might  unite  in  such  a 
work.  The  ladies  remained  and  decided  that  Mrs. 
Thompson,  the  wife  of  a  drunkard,  should  lead  the 


344 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


movement.  Her  son,  a  lad  of  fourteen,  heard  what 
was  said,  and  hastening  home,  told  his  mother  that 
they  had  got  her  into  business  over  at  the  church. 
The  husband  was  in  the  next  room,  and  he  said:  ‘I 
guess,  mother,  you’d  better  not  go,  it’s  all  folderol.’ 

'  Well,’  she  answered,  ‘  the  men  have  been  at  it  long 
enough,  and  it  is  time  for  the  women  to  try  their 
hands  now.’  The  next  morning  the  husband  said : 
1  Well,  children,  it’s  no  use  for  us  to  say  anything  to 
mother,  there’s  where  she  gets  her  marching  orders  ’ — 
pointing  to  the  family  Bible.  Then  the  146th  Psalm 
was  adopted  as  the  hymn  of  the  crusade.  Mrs. 
Thompson  went  to  the  church,  a  prayer- meeting  was 
held,  conducted  by  women,  and  then  they  went  to 
the  first  saloon,  where  the  Bible  was  read,  though  it 
had  never  before  been  heard  except  in  ridicule.  So 
the  crusade  began,  and  the  speaker  declared  that  she 
was  glad  that  she  was  one  of  those  engaged  in  the 
work.” 


“  THEN  SHAKE  1” 

At  a  meeting  in  the  Temperance  Tabernacle,  in 
Philadelphia,  the  first  two  signers  were  considerably 
intoxicated.  They  came  forward  to  the  table  during 
the  exercises  and  attached  their  signatures  to  the 
book  with  no  little  difficulty.  “  I  am  drunk  now,” 
said  one  of  them,  “  but  I’m  going  to  do  it.  Will  yer 
keep  it,  Charlie?”  he  asked  his  companion.  “  Yes.” 
“  Then  shake,”  and  the  men  squeezed  each  other’s 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


345 


hands  and  made  their  promise  more  binding  by 
shaking  hands  with  the  usher  who  was  stationed  at 
the  table,  and  called  upon  him  to  witness  their  agree¬ 
ment.  Then  they  rolled  down  the  aisle  and  disap- 
appeared. 


“  i’m  unraveling  !  ” 

Mr.  Charles  Wenzell,  the  reformed  sporting  man, 
of  Pittsburg,  who  has  done  valiant  work  for  temper¬ 
ance,  tells  of  a  man  who  went  home  from  a  drinking 
spree,  and,  on  looking  around  for  something  to  eat, 
found  some  bread  and  milk  in  a  bowl,  into 'which 
a  ball  of  thread  had  fallen.  He  swallowed  the  thread 
as  well  as  the  bread  and  milk,  but  an  end  of  the 
thread  stuck  in  his  teeth,  and,  as  he  drew  it  out,  it 
came  arm’s-length  after  arm’s-length,  until,  becoming 
alarmed,  he  called  out :  11  Maria  !  Maria  !  come  down 
here  with  a  light;  I’m  unraveling !  ”  And,  adds  Mr. 
Wenzell,  that  “  is  what  we  want  you  to  do,  boys. 
We  want  you  to  unravel  the  chain  that  has  been 
entwining  itself  about  you.” 


u  WON  AND  SAVED.” 

At  a  collection  taken  recently  at  a  temperance 
meeting,  a  man  went  up  to  the  platform,  when  Mr. 
Murphy  said:  “I  know  you  have  a  good  heart.” 


346 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


“Yes,”  replied  the  man,  “your  kindness  has  won 
and  saved  me.”  The  incident  was  a  pleasing  one 
and  affected  the  whole  audience. 


“I  MADE  HIM  WHAT  HE  WAS.” 

A  few  weeks  ago  a  saloon-keeper  in  Dover,  Dela¬ 
ware,  who  patronized  his  own  bar  very  liberally, 
stepped  into  a  back  room  where  men  were  at  work 
about  a  pump  in  a  well.  The  covering  had  been  re¬ 
moved,  and  he  approached  to  look  down,  but  being 
very  drunk  he  pitched  in  head  foremost.  He  had 
become  so  much  of  a  bloat  by  the  use  of  strong  drink 
that  it  was  impossible  to  extricate  him  in  time  to  save 
his  life. 

There  was  great  excitement  in  the  town.  Men  and 
women  who  had  never  been  inside  of  his  saloon  before, 
were  first  to  rush  to  the  rescue,  and  to  offer  sympathy 
to  the  bereaved  family.  As  he  was  being  dragged 
from  the  well  and  stretched  out  dead  upon  the  saloon 
floor,  a  wholesale  liquor  dealer  from  Philadelphia 
stepped  in.  After  the  first  shock  at  thus  finding  one 
of  his  best  customers  dead,  he  turned  to  a  prominent 
lady,  a  crusader,  and  said,  pointing  to  the  wrecked 
victim:  “I  made  that  man  what  he  was.  I  lent  him 
his  first  dollar  and  set  him  up  with  his  first  stock  of 
liquors,  and  he  is  now  worth  $10,000  or  $15,000.” 

Looking  him  full  in  the  face,  she  responded  : 

44  You  made  that  man  what  he  was — a  drunkard, 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


347 


a  bloat,  a  stench  in  the  nostrils  of  society,  and  sent 
him  headlong  into  eternity,  and  to  a  drunkard’s  hell? 
What  is  $15,000  weighed  against  a  lost  soul,  a  wasted 
life,  a  wife  a  widow,  and  children  orphans?” 

He  turned  deadly  pale,  and  without  a  word  left  the 
house. 


RUM-MADNESS. 

From  an  account,  lately  furnished  us,  of  a  visit  to 
the  Orange  County,  N.  Y.,  Insane  Asylum,  we  re¬ 
cord  these  lessons  as  suited  to  this  place  and  work : 

u  *  All  incurable,’  said  the  Superintendent.  6  That 
little  melancholy  looking  fellow,  shuffling  along  this 
way,  is  Johnny  Landon,  well  known  two  or  three 
years  ago  on  the  road  between  Port  Jervis  and  Mil¬ 
ford.  He  came  from  England  a  few  years  since  with 
$3,000,  and  married  a  wealthy  girl  in  New  York, 
moved  up  the  Erie,  and  run  a  freight  wagon.  His 
wife  and  four  children  had  to  leave  him,  he  used 
them  so  badly.  Two  years  ago  he  was  brought  here. 
Rum  fixed  him.’ 

“  Amid  this  Babel  of  yells  and  shrieks,  a  middle- 
aged  man  sat  at  a  table  absorbed  in  a  game  of  check¬ 
ers  which  he  was  playing,  his  right  hand  against  his 
left. 

“  ‘  Maybe  you  know  that  man  ?’  said  Mr.  Groodale. 
c  Hello,  Mapes.  Playing  it  alone  ?  ’ 

“  The  patient  looked  up.  I  was  astounded  to  re¬ 
cognize  in  the  greatly  changed  features  the  genial 


348 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


Capt.  Perry  Mapes,  once  the  well-known  owner  of  a 
line  of  Hudson  river  steamboats,  the  partner  of  Col. 
E.  R.  Abbott  in  the  Kathbone  House,  Elmira,  and  a 
few  years  ago  owner  of  a  large  hotel  in  Hornellsville. 
Know  him?  Ho  man  was  better  known  from  New 
York  to  Buffalo. 

“  ‘  What  brought  Capt.  Mapes  here  V  I  asked  of 
the  keeper. 

“  6  Rum,’  was  the  reply.” 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

u  WHAT  RUM  WILL  DO.” 

The  words  and  facts  herewith  given  were  taken 
from  the  lips  of  Mr.  Gough,  the  orator,  and  are  wor¬ 
thy  the  attention  of  every  reader  : 

u  A  minister  of  the  Gospel  told  me  one  of  the  most 
thrilling  incidents  I  have  heard  in  my  life.  A  mem¬ 
ber  of  his  congregation  came  home  for  the  first  time 
in  his  life  intoxicated,  and  his  boy  met  him  on  the 
door-step,  clapping  his  hands  and  exclaiming,  6  Papa 
has  come  home !’  He  seized  that  boy  by  the  shoul¬ 
der,  swung  him  around,  staggered,  and  fell  in  the 
hall.  That  minister  said  to  me  (I  could  give  you  his 
name,  if  necessary),  4 1  spent  the  night  in  that  house. 
I  went  out,  bared  my  brow  that  the  night  air  might 
fall  upon  it  and  cool  it.  I  walked  out  and  down  the 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


349 


hill.  There  was  bis  child  dead  ;  there  was  his  wife 
in  strong  convulsions,  and  he  asleep.  A  man  but 
thirty  years  of  age  asleep,  with  a  dead  child  in  the 
house,  having  a  blue  mark  upon  the  temple  where 
the  corner  of  the  marble  steps  had  come  in  contact 
with  the  head  as  he  swung  him  around,  and  a  wife 
upon  the  brink  of  the  grave !’  4  Mr.  Gough,’  said  my 

friend,  ‘I  cursed  the  drink.  He  had  told  me  I  must 
remain  until  he  awoke,  and  I  did.  When  he  awoke 
he  passed  his  hand  over  his  face,  and  exclaimed, 

4  What  is  the  matter  ?  Where  am  I  ?  Where  is  my 
boy?’  4  You  cannot  see  him.’  1  Stand  out  of  my  way. 
I  will  see  my  boy.’  To  prevent  confusion  I  took  him 
to  the  child’s  bed,  and  as  I  turned  down  the  sheet  and 
showed  him  the  corpse,  he  uttered  a  wild  shriek,  ‘Ah, 
my  child  1’  That  minister  said  further  to  me,  4  One 
year  after  that  he  was  brought  from  a  lunatic  asylum 
to  lie  side  by  side  with  his  wife,  in  one  grave,  and  I 
attended  the  funeral.’  The  minister  of  the  Gospel 
who  told  me  that  fact  is  to-day  a  drunken  hostler  in 
a  stable  in  Boston.  How  tell  me  what  rum  will  do. 
It  will  debase,  degrade,  imbrute,  and  damn  everything 
that  is  noble,  bright,  glorious,  and  god-like  in  a  human 
being.  There  is  nothing  drink  will  not  do  that  is 
vile,  dastardly,  cowardly,  sneaking  or  hellish.  We 
are,  are  we  not,  to  fight  till  the  day  of  our  death?” 


THRILLING  STORY. 

44  At  a  certain  town  meeting  in  Pennsylvania,  the 
question  came  up  whether  any  persons  should  be  li- 


350 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


censed  to  sell  rum.  The  clergyman,  the  deacon,  the 
physician,  strange  as  it  may  now  appear,  all  favored 
it,  one  man  only  spoke  against  it,  because  of  the 
mischief  it  did.  The  question  was  about  to  be  put, 
when  there  arose  from  one  corner  of  the  room  a  mis¬ 
erable  woman.  She  was  thinly  clad,  and  her  ap¬ 
pearance  indicated  the  utmost  wretchedness,  and  that 
her  mortal  career  was  almost  closed.  After  a  mo¬ 
ment’s  silence,  and  all  eyes  being  fixed  upon  her, 
she  stretched  her  attenuated  body  to  its  utmost 
height,  and  then  her  long  arms  to  their  greatest 
length,  and  raising  her  voice  to  a  shrill  pitch,  she 
called  to  all  to  look  upon  her. 

“,Yes!’  she  said,  ‘look  upon  me,  and  then ,  hear 
me.  All  that  the  last  speaker  has  said  relative  to 
temperate  drinking,  as  being  the  father  of  drunken¬ 
ness,  is  true.  All  practice,  all  experience,  declares 
its  truth.  All  drinking  of  alcoholic  poison,  as  a  bev¬ 
erage  in  health,  is  excess.  Look  upon  me!  You  all 
know  me,  or  once  did.  You  all  know  I  was  once  the 
mistress  of  the  best  farm  in  the  town.  You  all  know, 
too,  I  had  one  of  the  best — the  most  devoted  of  hus¬ 
bands.  You  all  know  that  I  had  fine,  noble-hearted, 
industrious  boys.  Where  are  they  now  ?  Doctor, 
where  are  they  now  ?  You  all  know.  You  all  know 
they  lie  in  a  row,  side  by  side,  in  yonder  churchyard; 
all — every  one  of  them  filling  the  drunkard’s  grave. 
They  were  all  taught  to  believe  that  temperate  drink¬ 
ing  was  safe — that  excess  alone  ought  to  be  avoided; 
and  they  never  acknowledged  excess.  They  quoted 
you,  and  you,  and  you,  pointing  with  her  shred  of  a 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


351 


finger  to  the  minister,  deacon  and  doctor,  as  author¬ 
ity.  They  thought  themselves  safe  under  such  teach¬ 
ers.  But  I  saw  the  gradual  change  coming  over  my 
family  and  its  prospects,  with  dismay  and  horror.  I 
felt  we  were  all  to  be  overwhelmed  in  one  common 
ruin.  I  tried  to  ward  off  the  blow;  I  tried  to  break 
the  spell,  the  delusive  spell,  in  which  the  idea  of  the 
benefits  of  temperate  drinking  had  involved  my  hus¬ 
band  and  sons.  I  begged,  I  prayed ;  but  the  odds 
were  against  me. 

“  £  The  minister  said  the  poison  that  was  destroy¬ 
ing  my  husband  and  boys  was  a  good  creature  of 
God;  the  deacon  who  sits  under  the  pulpit  there,  and 
took  our  farm  to  pay  his  rum  bills,  sold  them  the 
poison  ;  the  doctor  said  a  little  was  good,  and  the  ex¬ 
cess  only  ought  to  be  avoided.  My  poor  husband, 
and  my  dear  boys  fell  into  the  snare,  and  they  could 
not  escape  ;  and  one  after  another  were  conveyed  to 
the  sorrowful  grave  of  the  drunkard.  Now  look  at  me 
again.  You  probably  see  me  for  the  last  time.  My 
sands  have  almost  run.  I  have  dragged  my  exhausted 
frame  from  my  present  home — your  poor-house — 
to  warn  you  all;  to  warn  you,  deacon!  to  warn  you, 
false  teacher  of  God’s  words!’  And  with  her  arms 
flung  high,  and  her  tall  form  stretched  to  its  utmost, 
and  her  voice  raised  to  an  unearthly  pitch,  she  ex¬ 
claimed,  ‘I  shall  soon  stand  before  the  judgment  seat 
of  God.  I  shall  meet  you  there,  you  false  guides, 
and  be  a  witness  against  you  all !  ’ 

“  The  miserable  woman  vanished.  A  dead  silence 
pervaded  the  assembly  ;  the  minister,  the  deacon  and 


352 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


physician,  hung  their  heads ;  and  when  the  president 
of  the  meeting  put  the  question,  1  Shall  any  licenses 
be  granted  for  the  sale  of  spirituous  liquors?’  the 
unanimous  response  was  ‘  No !  ’  ” 


A  TRUE  IRISHMAN. 

The  following  is  furnished  by  Colonel  Drew  of 
Washington,  D.  C.,  in  illustration  of  what  can  be  done 
toward  reform,  by  a  resolute  and  good  intentioned 
man : 

“  A  man  I  knew  in  Washington  kept  a  grocery  on 
Pennsylvania  avenue  and  Ninth  street  and  kept  liquor 
in  connection  with  his  business,  but  it  was  by  no 
means  his  principal  business.  One  night  he  sold  a 
quart  of  whiskey  to  a  blacksmith  who  lived  in  an 
adjoining  square.  When  he  came  to  his  store  Mon¬ 
day  morning,  he  was  told  that  the  man  had  become 
intoxicated  during  Sunday,  and  had  built  a  fire  for  his 
forge  Sunday  night,  and  had  fallen  into  it.  The  shop 
and  forge  was  burned,  and  the  man  too.  The  dealer 
walked  across  the  square  and  saw  the  man’s  charred 
body,  and  he  then  walked  back  to  his  store,  called 
down  his  employes  and  rolled  out  every  barrel  of 
rum,  gin,  spirit  and  every  cask  of  wine,  and  staving 
the  heads  of  the  barrels  in,  he  let  it  run  into  the 
Potomac.  He  shut  up  his  shop,  and  never  sold  a  drop 
afterwards.  That  man  did  that  though  he  was  in 
debt  for  goods  in  his  store,  to-day  he  is  worth  $500,- 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


353 


000 ;  and  he  never  sold  a  drop  of  rum  since  he  shut 
up  his  store.  The  name  of  this  man  is  J.  Savage,  of 
Washington,  an  Irishman,  and  one  of  the  greatest  de- 
fenders  of  this  cause  in  this  country.” 


“A  CRIPPLE  FOR  LIFE.” 

The  following  narrative  of  Mr.  John  Tennyson, 
was  taken  down  as  uttered  at  a  Murphy  meeting  in 
the  Tabernacle,  Philadelphia,  a  few  weeks  since: 

“  If  I  were  to  take  the  time  to  tell  you  all  the  bene¬ 
fits  I  have  received  from  signing  the  pledge,  you 
would  have  to  *  amen  ’  me  down  like  Brother  Mur¬ 
phy.  I  am  doing  well,  better  than  I  ever  did  before. 
I  have  been  lifted  from  the  depths  of  a  life  of  degra¬ 
dation  into  a  better  life.  A  few  weeks  ago  I  was 
discarded  from  a  home  of  luxury  and  ease  to  that  of 
woe  and  want.  Nine  weeks  ago  last  Saturday  nighty 
I  entered  Concert  Hall  in  a  semi-intoxicated  condi¬ 
tion.  I  took  a  seat  in  the  remotest  corner  of  the  hall 
where  I  might  hide  my  tattered  garments  from  the 
rude  gaze  of  the  people,  and  you  may  know  how 
much  interest  I  felt  in  the  meeting  when  I  tell  you 
I  fell  asleep,  and  was  not  awakened  until  Mr.  Mur¬ 
phy  was  making  his  closing  speech.  The  next  day 
at  noon  I  signed  the  pledge  and  have  not  since 
regretted  that  step. 

“Soon  after  the  war  I  became  intimately  acquain¬ 
ted  with  a  young  man  whose  life  in  this  world  bade 

23 


354 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


fair  to  lead  him  on  to  fortune.  His  was  a  jovial  dis¬ 
position,  frank  and  open  hearted,  and  it  was  his  wont 
to  meet  with  convival  friends  on  a  set  night  and  make 
a  time  of  it.  One  cold  winter  morning  in  the  year 
1868,  after  indulging  more  than  usual,  that  morning 
he  proceeded  to  his  work,  which  consisted  in  putting 
a  tin  roof  upon  a  building.  He  had  been  there  only 
a  few  hours  when  making  a  mis-step  he  fell  backward 
through  the  skylight,  a  distance  of  forty  feet  and  was 
picked  up  in  a  lifeless  condition.  An  eminent  physi¬ 
cian  was  sent  for,  who  said  :  4 1  can  not  add  tortures 
to  his  miseries,  he  can  not  live.’  He  was  taken  to  the 
Pennsylvania  Hospital,  his  relatives  were  sent  for, 
and  the  first  at  his  bedside  was  his  mother.  As  she 
bended  her  slender  form  over  the  bed  of  that  oldest 
son,  with  an  agonized  eye  she  looked  into  the  eyes  of 
the  physician,  saying :  4  Oh  !  sir  !  can  he  live  ?  Can 
my  boy  live  ?’  She  did  not  want  him  to  be  sent  to  a 
drunkard’s  grave.  The  physician  replied  :  4  We  can 
not  tell,  his  life  is  in  a  higher  power  than  ours.’  All 
through  that  dreary  winter  she  carried  him  nourish¬ 
ment  and  consolation.  He  was  removed  to  her  home 
only  to  rise  from  that  bed  a  cripple  for  life.  It  is 
unnecessary  for  me  to  tell  you  that  that  man  and  my¬ 
self  are  the  same  person.  I  hate  the  vile  groggery  ; 
it  has  robbed  me  of  the  use  of  a  good  right  arm,  it 
has  invaded  our  social  and  family  circles  and  re¬ 
moved  our  best  friends.  Oh,  men,  arise  and  assert 
your  liberty  by  enrolling  your  name  on  the  roll  of 
honor.  Oh,  men !  why  bow  ye  down  to  images  of 
stone?  Now,  rise!  be  free!  trust  in  the  God  above, 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


355 


for  with  him  is  mercy  and  goodness.  Come  forward 
then  to-night  and  sign  the  pledge.  Take  the  advice  of 
one  who  has  known  the  miseries  which  result  from 
the  use  of  intoxicating  drink,  and  who  is  now  free 
from  it  and  enjoying  a  life  of  temperance.” 


“from  the  top  of  the  ladder  to  the  foot.” 

The  following  words  were  uttered  by  Mr.  Frank 
Burns,  of  Pittsburg,  at  the  Murphy  Tabernacle,  in 
Philadelphia,  a  short  time  since: 

u  I  am  amazed  at  the  immense  size  of  this  build¬ 
ing,  which  I  expected  so  little  to  see.  I  came  here 
to-day  to  see  Mr.  Murphy,  because  I  have  been  so 
weary  with  the  work  in  Pittsburg  that  I  wished  a 
little  rest ;  and,  I  thought  I  would  get  a  little  rest  by 
coming  to  see  him,  as  he  has  been  a  friend  to  me. 
As  I  was  sitting  here  to-night  my  thoughts  went 
back  to  a  little  over  five  years  ago,  when  I  was  in 
your  city,  about  to  leave  it  for  Pittsburg,  accompany¬ 
ing  my  father’s  body  home.  He  died,  while  on  a 
visit  here,  of  pneumonia,  after  five  days  illness.  I 
was  at  that  time  attending  Jefferson  Medical  College. 
When  he  died  I  became  heir  to  a  fortune  of  over 
$80,000.  As  I  was  his  only  child,  and  as  my  mother 
had  died  four  years  previously,  I  did  not  have  the 
right  people  to  counsel  me.  I  spent  a  portion  of  my 
time  in  this  city.  I  then  went  into  the  liquor  busi¬ 
ness  in  New  York.  I  next  went  down  to  Pittsburg 


356 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


and  got  married,  and  made  a  wedding  tour  to  Eu¬ 
rope,  through  Ireland  and  England.  I  assure  you 
Irish  whiskey  did  not  improve  matters  with  me.  I 
returned,  and,  to  make  a  long  story  short,  I  gradu¬ 
ally  went  on  till  I  got  from  the  top  of  the  ladder  to 
the  foot  almost.  Thank  God  to-night  I  am  saved; 
but  I  might  have  been  saved  sooner.  About  four 
months  ago  I  had  a  drinking  spree  of  about  five 
days.  I  had  not  heard  of  Mr.  Murphy  being  in 
Pittsburg,  but  one  morning  I  met  brother  David 
Hall,  who  asked  me  to  come  and  hear  Murphy.  I 
said :  ‘All  right.’  I  didn’t  know  where  Murphy 
was.  I  thought  it  was  some  new  saloon.  I  said: 

6  Yes,  I  would  as  soon  drink  Murphy’s  whiskey  as 
anybody  else’s.’  So  he  took  me  up  to  the  University 
and  we  saw  Murphy.  It  was  not  the  Murphy  I 
expected  to  see.  I  signed  the  pledge.  I  have  been 
saved  through  the  instrumentality  of  Mr.  Murphy, 
by  the  grace  of  God,  from  a  drunkard’s  grave.  I 
do  not  come  here  to  praise  him.  But  I  know  the 
good  he  has  done  me,  and  I  know  what  he  has  done 
for  Pittsburg.” 


“caught  in  the  murphy  net.” 

Mr.  Harry  Kawle  had  been  engaged  in  the  sale 
of  intoxicating  liquor  in  Pittsburg.  He  came  to  the 
conclusion  that  he  had  better  stop  the  business,  and 
sign  the  pledge.  Recently  he  was  invited  to  give 
his  testimony  before  a  large  meeting,  when  he  said : 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


357 


u  This  is  the  first  time  I  have  ever  been  before  an 
audience  in  my  life.  Brother  Murphy  has  asked  me 
to  say  a  few  words.  I  will  say  them  in  my  own  way. 
I  kept  a  saloon  about  four  years,  during  which  time 
I  have  drank  a  good  deal.  I  was  often  told  I  had 
better  give  up  drinking.  I  took  a  quiet  drink  very 
often  until  Murphy  came  to  Pittsburg.  One  day  I 
thought  I  would  drop  in  and  see  who  Mr.  Murphy 
was.  I  went  in.  A  gentleman  who  knew  me  said,  ‘  I 
had  better  come  up  and  sign  the  pledge.’  I  said  :  'I 
don’t  drink  much ;  I  do  not  think  it  is  necessary  for 
me  to  sign  it.’  He  said:  ‘I  have  seen  you  when  you 
have  had  too  much.’  I  said :  4  I  am  in  the  business,  and 
I  cannot  sign  it  now,  as  I  have  nothing  else  to  do.’ 
Some  lady  said:  4  We  will  pray  for  you.1  I  said:  ‘I 
will  be  thankful  to  you  for  that.’  I  went  home  and 
told  my  friends  I  had  seen  Murphy.  And  was  asked 
what  I  thought  of  him.  I  said  :  4  He  is  a  nice  kind 
of  a  man  ;  that  was  all  there  was  of  him.’  I  did  not 
take  much  stock  in  him.  Nevertheless,  after  a  little 
while  and  a  varied  experience,  I  was  caught  in  the 
Murphy  net.  Just  before  Murphy  came  away  I 
signed  the  pledge,  and  have  kept  it  ever  since.” 


358 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

THE  WAY  TO  MASTER  THE  APPETITE. 

Mr.  John  H.  Love,  of  Philadelphia,  said  before  a 
great  Tabernacle  meeting: 

“At  the  age  of  sixteen  I  had  an  iron  constitution. 
For  twenty-five  years  I  was  a  moderate  drinker.  I 
could  start  on  five  glasses  and  keep  on  drinking  and 
still  remain  pretty  sober.  The  habit  was  increasing 
upon  me  year  after  year,  and  my  appetite  for  drink 
got  stronger  and  stronger,  so  that  I  could  not  do 
without  it.  The  accursed  stuff  was  dragging  me 
down  into  the  lowest  depths,  and  poisoning  me.  I 
had  power  over  everything  but  that.  Whiskey  had 
the  mastery  over  me.  How,  thank  God,  since  I 
have  signed  the  pledge,  I  am  master  ;  and,  by  the  help 
of  God,  I  will  be  master.  It  is  something  noble  for 
you,  young  men,  to  throw  the  cursed  shackles  from 
off  your  feet.  There  is  not  a  man  living  but  can 
stop  drinking  and  be  a  man.  This  country  is  large. 
There  is  not  a  man  in  the  country,  or  city,  but  what 
there  is  employment  for,  if  he  will  go  about  it  in  the 
right  way.  Some  say:  ‘There  is  no  use  in  my  sign¬ 
ing  it,  I  cannot  keep  it.’  Whenever  the  temptation 
comes  to  you,  even  if  you  have  the  whiskey  poured 
out,  get  on  your  knees  first,  and  I  will  guarantee 
that  the  whiskey  is  thrown  on  the  floor,  and  you  will 
go  off  feeling  a  better  man.  I  have  had  trials,  but  I 
can  look  back  and  say  I  am  master  now.” 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


359 


‘'WOULDN’T  RETURN  TO  IT  FOR  $100  PER  DAY.” 

Mr.  Charles  Wenzell,  the  reformed  sporting  man 
of  Pittsburg,  narrated  his  experience  in  Cincinnati,  at 
a  large  meeting.  He  remarked,  “  That  no  doubt 
some  in  the  audience  knew  him  from  days  gone  by, 
when  he  was  in  an  entirely  different  occupation. 
Last  October  he  had  a  drinking  saloon  in  Pittsburg, 
and  sold  it  out — not  because  of  a  sense  of  the  impro¬ 
priety  of  his  calling,  but  simply  because  the  saloon 
was  not  paying.  He  went  to  Kew  York  for  the  pur¬ 
pose  of  embarking  for  South  America,  but  didn’t  go, 
for  reasons  he  need  not  state.  He  spent  all  the 
money  he  had  to  pay  for  his  passage,  and  in  obedi¬ 
ence  to  an  irresistible  desire  returned  to  Pittsburg. 
He  did  not  return  to  resume  his  old  business,  for  that 
was  not  tolerated  under  the  law.  He  had  been  a 
card  player  for  twenty-three  years,  and  had  made  his 
living  that  way.  He  couldn’t  explain  why  he  went 
back  to  Pittsburg.  Having  nothing  else  to  do  he  at¬ 
tended  a  Murphy  meeting.  After  the  meeting  he 
was  asked  by  a  newspaper  reporter  what  he  thought 
of  it,  and  carelessly  answered  that  he  thought  ‘  Mur¬ 
phy  was  on  a  pretty  fine  racket,  and  making  some 
money  by  charging  twenty-five  cents  a  head  at  his 
meetings.’  The  next  day  he  attended  a  meeting  in  a 
church,  the  first  church  he  had  been  in  for  twenty 
years.  He  attended  other  meetings,  and  resolved  to 
join  the  church  and  sign  the  pledge.  He  called  upon 
Murphy  and  asked  his  advice,  and  what  he  would  do 


360 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


after  giving  up  his  old  ways,  and  how  he  could  make 
a  living.  Murphy  replied,  that  God  would  provide  a 
way,  and  referred  to  the  Scriptural  teaching  about 
the  Father  feeding  the  sparrows  and  clothing  the 
lilies  of  the  field.  4  But,’  queried  Wenzell,  4 1  ain  no 
sparrow.’  Murphy  answered,  u  Try  it,  and  you  will 
be  provided  for.’  The  speaker  did  give  himself  to 
the  church,  and  signed  the  pledge,  and  severed  him¬ 
self  from  his  old  associations.  He  would  not  return 
to  that  business  again  if  he  was  assured  that  it  would 
yield  him  $100  a  day,  in  exchange  for  the  bright  and 
beautiful  life  in  the  future  for  him.  He  felt  confi¬ 
dent  that  there  was  hundreds  to-day  in  the  business 
he  had  abandoned,  who  would  quit  it  in  a  minute  if 


earn  an  honorable  living.  He  enjoined  them  to  try 
the  experiment,  and  declared  that  they  would  be  well 
taken  care  of.” 

r 


could  see  the  means  ahead  of  them  by  which  to 


A  PATHETIC  STORY. 

At  a  Gospel  Temperance  meeting  in  the  Boston 
Tabernacle,  a  few  weeks  ago,  Mr.  D.  L.  Moody  in¬ 
troduced  Mr.  William  Torrence  to  the  audience  in 
the  following  words : 

44  When  I  went  to  Chicago  last  October  I  received 
a  letter  from  a  Glasgow  minister,  enclosing  one  from 
a  father  in  Scotland,  written  to  this  Glasgow  minis¬ 
ter,  asking  him  if  he  could  not  get  me  to  look  after 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


361 


his  boy  who  was  in  America ;  that  the  last  he  heard 
of  him  he  was  somewhere  in  Chicago.  Mr.  Sawyer 
took  this  letter  and  search  was  made  for  the  young 
man.  Weeks  passed  away,  and  just  before  we  left,  a 
little  while  before  we  left,  in  one  of  the  second  meet¬ 
ings  a  young  man  rose  for  prayer,  and  when  we  came 
to  inquire  his  name  it  was  this  young  man  that  we 
had  been  looking  after  for  weeks  and  months.  One 
thing  I  suppose  that  drew  me  out  toward  him  was 
his  name  was  Willie,  and  that  is  the  name  of  my 
only  boy,  and  this  Scotch  father  went  on  to  tell  how 
he  loved  his  only  boy,  and  if  I  could  only  find  his 
Willie  and  bring  him  to  Christ  how  thankful  he 
would  be.  That  Willie  is  here  to-day,  and  I  am  go¬ 
ing  to  make  him  tell  his  own  story.” 

Mr.  Torrence  said:  “I  have  been  a  drunkard.  The 
hot  blood  of  shame  comes  to  my  face  to-day  as  I 
stand  before  this  immense  audience.  But  there  is  a 
thrill  of  gratitude  in  my  heart  that  I  can  stand  here 
and  tell  you  that  I  am  not  now  a  drunkard.  That  is 
a  thing  of  the  past,  and  by  the  grace  of  God  I 
stand  before  you  sober,  redeemed,  regenerated,  saved. 
Twenty-years  ago  I  was  a  bright,  happy  boy  starting 
out  from  a  country  village  in  Scotland  to  finish  my 
education.  I  went  to  Glasgow  with  the  prayers  of  a 
father  and  mother  that  hoped  to  see  me  shine  to 
society.  They  thought  a  brilliant  career  was  before 
me,  but  alas,  how  their  hopes  were  blighted.  In  the 
city  of  Glasgow  I  commenced  to  drink  and  fell  in 
with  friends  that  led  me  on.  I  was  an  apt  scholar. 
Day  by  day  I  got  deeper  and  deeper  into  the  vortex 


362 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


until  a  few  years  ago,  the  last  link  in  the  chain  was 
forged,  which  bound  me  to  a  drunkard’s  life.  I  was 
bound  hand  and  foot,  body  and  soul  by  this  terrible 
curse  of  intemperance. 

“  I  left  my  native  land  a  few  years  ago,  after  I  had 
broken  my  wife’s  heart,  and  laid  her  in  the  grave. 
She  was  the  truest  friend  I  ever  had ;  when  all  friends 
forsook  me  she  stood  by  me,  and  when  I  closed  the 
big  coffin  lid  over  her  pure  white  face  I  shut  from 
my  sight  a  true  friend  that  God  had  sent  me.  She 
was  a  Christian  woman,  her  father  was  a  clergyman, 
and  I  nipped  her  young  life.  Whiskey  did  it.  I 
loved  her  as  I  loved  my  life,  but  she  died  after  we 
had  been  married  three  years,  and  then,  driven  to 
despair  and  remorse,  I  left  my  native  country  with¬ 
out  saying  good-by  to  kith  or  kin. 

“  The  ghost  of  that  pale  face  haunted  me  for  three 
years,  drunk  or  sober,  at  home  or  abroad,  asleep  or 
awake,  it  haunted  me  and  drove  me  almost  to  mad¬ 
ness.  I  tried  to  drown  my  sorrow,  but  there  has 
come  to  my  heart  a  different  hope ;  instead  of  that 
ghost  of  my  wife’s  pale  face  haunting  me,  there  has 
come  to  me  now  the  hope  that  by-and-by  we  will 
meet  together,  and  if  we  did  not  live  long  together 
in  this  world,  I  feel  that  by-and  by,  in  the  endless 
years  of  eternity  we  will  be  together. 

“  She  left  me  a  little  daughter,  and  when  she  was  a 
baby  I  used  to  perform  the  little  offices  devolving 
upon  her  mother,  who  was  sick,  and  the  child  was 
very  fond  of  me.  I  have  only  seen  her  once  since 
that  time,  but  now  I  am  on  my  way  to  Scotland  to 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


363 


see  my  child.  She  wrote  me  a  letter  some  time  ago 
which  said,  6  Dear  papa,  I  am  very  glad  to  know  you 
are  a  good  man,  and  you  are  coming  back  to  see  your 
little  daughter/  and  she  sent  me  a  thousand  kisses, 
and  I  am  going  to  have  them.  I  am  going  back  to 
be  embraced  by  my  father  and  mother  and  to  attend 
my  sister’s  wedding.  But  I  have  also  an  invitation 
to  another  marriage,  and  that  is  the  marriage  supper 
of  the  Lamb,  and  I  have  accepted  that  invitation  and 
shall  be  there. 

“  I  am  going  beside  the  grave,  in  that  cold  church 
yard,  where  lies  my  wife,  and  to  stand  there  before 
God  and  thank  Him  that  I  am  able  to  come  and  utter 
that  prayer,  6  Oh  God  save  me  and  keep  me,’  and 
God  has  done  so.  Five  months  ago  I  went  into  the 
Tabernacle  in  Chicago  without  a  hope  and  without  a 
friend.  What  took  me  there  I  cannot  tell  you.  I 
sat  and  listened  to  such  testimonials  as  by  the  grace 
of  God  I  am  able  to  utter  before  you  to-day.  I  went 
into  the  second  meeting,  and  arose  for  the  first  time 
in  my  life  for  prayer,  and  the  prayers  of  Christian 
people  touched  my  heart. 

“  Mr.  Sawyer  came  forward  and  asked  me  my 
name.  I  told  him  and  he  started,  and  I  wondered 
what  could  have  been  the  matter,  and  he  said,  1  My 
dear  sir,  we  have  been  looking  for  you  for  two 
month!;  nearly;  fifty  praying  men  and  women  of 
Chicago  have  been  praying  for  you.’  I  certainly 
could  not  understand  this,  because  I  did  not  know 
there  was  any  one  cared  about  me.  He  then  told  me 
of  the  letter  which  had  been  sent  to  Mr.  Moody.  I 


364 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


could  not  stand  the  knowledge  of  this  fact  that  my 
father  and  mother  were  still  looking  after  me. 

“In  this  condition  I  was  led  to  Mr.  Moody’s  room 
and  Mr.  Moody  knelt  down  and  prayed  for  me,  and 
that  prayer  is  still  riveted  upon  my  mind,  and  will 
be  as  long  as  I  live ;  and  then  Christian  people  took 
me  in  hand  and  told  me  I  was  not  the  miserable,  de¬ 
graded,  wretched  creature  that  people  told  me  I  was; 
that  if  I  had  no  friend  in  this  world  I  had  a  friend  in 
Jesus ;  that  if  my  earthly  father  and  mother  were 
seeking  for  me  these  many  years,  Jesus  was  seeking 
for  me  and  had  tried  to  save  me ;  that  such  a  lost 
wretch  as  I  might  be  saved,  and  that  truth  sunk  down 
into  my  heart  as  it  never  had  done  before. 

“  In  my  young  days  I  was  told  all  about  this,  but 
I  didn’t  understand  it,  but  that  morning  the  Lord  of 
Glory  flashed  into  my  heart  that  it  was  true  and  I 
was  led  then  and  there — I  was  partially  intoxicated 
at  the  time — to  yield  myself  to  God,  and  I  did  so ; 
and  that  night,  in  my  room,  I  begged  and  prayed  to 
God  to  accept  such  an  unworthy  sinner  as  I  was,  and 
ere  the  morning  sun  shone  there  came  to  my  heart  a 
still  small  voice  that  said,  1  Son,  thy  sins  be  forgiven 
thee.’ 

li  A  few  months  ago  I  started  out  in  business ;  I 
hadn’t  a  cent ;  I  hadn’t  anything.  I  was  engaged  by 
a  firm  who  thought  they  might  trust  me.  People 
said  I  would  not  stand.  I  could  not  stand  it  myself, 
but  I  started  out  strong  in  the  Lord  and  I  stood,  and 
I  am  here  to-day  sober.  I  have  traveled  all  over 
the  Northwest,  through  Minnesota  and  Illinois.  I 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


365 


represent  a  respectable  firm,  travel  with  plenty  of 
money  and  live  at  the  best  hotels,  and  I  have  honored 
the  Lord  for  all  He  has  done  for  me.  But  above  all 
there  is  a  peace  and  hope,  not  the  drunkard’s  hope, 
but  the  hope  that  the  Christian  has  of  eternal  life.  I 
begin  now  to  realize  what  life  is,  and  I  want  to  live 
now,  not  for  myself,  but  to  help  those  who  belong  to 
the  class  of  which  I  once  formed  a  part. 

“I  have  had  temptations  on  the  road,  but  I  over¬ 
came  them.  The  first  week  I  started  out,  when  I 
was  in  a  large  hotel  I  asked  for  a  pudding  and  I 
found  it  swimming  in  brandy  sauce.  I  tell  you  the 
old  devil  within  me  smelt  it  at  once,  but  the  Lord 
was  with  me,  and  I  called  the  waiter  and  said  4  take 
it  away  for  I  am  afraid  of  it,’  and  I  asked  the  land¬ 
lord  as  a  duty  which  he  owed  to  the  class  to  which  I 
belonged  that  it  should  be  written  on  t%at  bill  of  fare 
that  there  was  brandy  in  that  sauce  (applause),  and  I 
went  to  my  room  and  thanked  God  I  was  saved  from 
that.  My  father  wrote  to  me  that  he  was  afraid  I 
should  fall,  because  I  was  a  commercial  traveler 
again,  but  I  replied  I  was  a  commercial  traveler  and 
traveling  with  the  Lord,  and  He  was  with  me,  and 
that  he  need  not  be  afraid,  and  in  such  moments  of 
temptation,  I  whisper  into  the  ear  of  Him  who  is 
mighty  to  save,  and  I  come  out  more  than  a  con¬ 
queror. 

44 1  left  Chicago  last  Tuesday  night,  and  the  re¬ 
formed  men  in  that  city  asked  me  to  tell  the  reformed 
men  in  Boston  how  glad  they  were  to  hear  that  you 
are  trusting  in  the  same  God  for  your  salvation. 


366 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


a  The  gospel  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  is  the  grand 
cure  for  the  drunkard.  With  that  in  my  heart  I 
never  want  a  single  drop  of  liquor,  because  Jesus 
Christ  is  there,  but  while  the  devil  was  in  my  hear 
he  wanted  me  to  drink  all  the  time.” 


u  OUT  OF  SIX,  THE  ONLY  ONE.” 

W m.  T.  Haines,  Esq.,  of  Chester,  Pa.,  at  a  Murphy 
temperance  meeting  at  West  Chester,  said  that  this 
was  the  first  movement  in  which  he  ever  had  faith. 
He  said  no  one  but  a  born  idiot  would  argue  that 
drinking  is  a  blessing  to  anybody.  He  stated  that 
the  reason  he  had  signed  the  pledge  was  that  he  re¬ 
membered  that  out  of  six  men  who  started  as  young 
men  together,  he  was  the  only  one  left.  They  drank 
and  they  filled  drunkard’s  graves.  Two  had  died 
by  their  own  hands,  two  more  had  died  even  while 
they  were  drunk. 


A  WONDERFUL  DELIVERANCE. 

A  Boston  lawyer  writes,  under  date  of  May  16th, 
that  u  he  had  been  a  drinking  man  for  years,  and  lately 
had  become  completely  subjected  to  the  appetite.  He 
had  tried  again  and  again  to  break  off,  but  in  a  few 
days  he  would  find  himself  in  some  favorite  rum  shop. 
Last  Sunday  afternoon  he  went  to  the  Tabernacle  and 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


367 


"heard  the  testimony  given  there  of  those  who  had 
been  saved.  That  night  he  prayed  twice  before  re¬ 
tiring  to  bed.  On  Monday  morning  he  arose,  feeling 
a  marked  change  He  had  his  breakfast  and  went  to 
his  business,  experiencing  no  desire  to  get  rum.  He 
went  home  that  night,  the  first  time  for  months  that 
his  family  could  not  smell  the  liquor  from  his  breath. 
He  was  filled  with  courage,  and  before  retiring  prayed 
again.  Tuesday  morning  he  arose,  and  after  break¬ 
fast  went  to  business  again,  passing  the  doors  of  rum 
shops  where  he  had  been  accustomed  to  get  his  morn¬ 
ing  drink.  He  felt  himself  absolutely  free  from  any 
desire  to  drink.  The  third  day  came  and  there  was 
no  desire  for  rum.  He  felt  that  God  had  answered 
his  prayers  and  given  him  strength  to  lead  a  good 
life  in  the  future.’7 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

a  BOYS  KIDNAPPED7’  BY  INTEMPERANCE. 

Mr.  Murphy,  at  one  of  his  meetings,  called  on  a 
reformed  man  named  Martin  for  his  testimony.  He 
appeared  on  the  platform  with  his  two  little  sons, 
aged  respectively  four  and  five  years,  who  had  been 
separated  for  some  time  from  him,  on  account  of  his 
intemperate  habits.  He  said  that  seven  weeks  ago 
he  had  signed  the  pledge,  and  that  God  had  given 


368 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


him  the  strength  to  keep  it  ever  since.  When  he 
was  drinking  he  was  compelled  to  commit  his  children 
to  the  care  of  the  Home,  but  when  he  took  a  stand 
for  temperance  his  children  were  restored  to  him,  and 
now  he  has  a  happy  family  and  a  pleasant  home.  He 
said  that  the  best  thing  for  any  man  to  do  would  be 
for  him  to  sign  the  pledge,  and  then  ask  the  Almighty 
to  give  him  strength  to  keep  it. 

In  commenting  upon  this  case,  Mr.  Murphy  said: 

“  There  is  no  place  that  has  felt  such  a  sensation  as 
was  experienced  in  Philadelphia  when  little  Charlie 
Ross  was  kidnapped.  The  newspapers  were  teeming 
with  it.  I  was  in  Chicago  at  the  time,  and  story  after 
story  and  report  after  report  came,  describing  the 
event  in  words  that  caused  the  stoutest  hearts  to 
weep.  Ho  you  know  there  is  hardly  a  family  in  this 
city  but  what  has  just  as  sweet  children  as  Charlie 
Ross  kidnapped  ?  There  has  been  a  scene  on  this 
stage  to-night  unrivalled  by  any  scene  I  have  ever 
witnessed,  and  that  was  two  dear  boys,  who  had  been 
kidnapped  through  the  evils  of  intemperance,  have 
been  restored  to  him  again,  and  he  is  once  more  a 
happy  man,  and  clothed  in  his  right  mind.” 


“  DRANK  UP  A  BARREL  OF  MONEY.” 

At  a  great  temperance  gathering  in  the  Queen  City, 
James  C.  Dunn  said,  ‘‘That  only  five  weeks  ago,  in 
Columbus,  he  little  thought  he  would  be  before  them 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


869 


advocating  temperance  reform,  but  the  reformers 
came  to  him  with  words  of  love,  and  they  touched 
his  heart.  He  signed  the  pledge,  and  for  the  first 
time  in  his  life  realized  what  a  precious  thing  life  is. 
Even  in  this  short  time  of  five  weeks  he  has  been 
enabled  to  look  back  upon  a  thraldom  worse  than 
slavery.  He  felt  redeemed  from  the  grave. 

“Early  in  life  he  became  a  drunkard.  His  father 
gave  him  a  good  education,  and  started  him  in  busi¬ 
ness,  and  in  Western  Hew  York  he  drank  up  forty 
thousand  dollars  in  whiskey.  He  then  came  out 
West,  to  Columbus,  and  tried  to  reform.  His  fa¬ 
ther  helped  again  and  started  him  in  business,  but 
again  he  was  floored.  Then  he  became  a  clerk  and 
worked  a  few  years,  but  still  beset  by  the  terrible 
appetite  for  drink.  Then  occurred  a  lapse  of  reason. 
His  father  helped  him  again,  and  he  found  himself  in 
business  and  doing  two  hundred  thousand  dollars  a 
year,  but — would  they  believe  it? — he  drank  that  all 
up  ;  and  still  another  dry  goods  store.  That  was  three 
dry  goods  stores  he  had  consumed  in  drink.  Yes, 
and  he  drank  a  barrel  of  money  besides.” 


THE  ONLY  SURE  HELP. 

At  the  Tabernacle,  in  Philadelphia,  Mr.  J.  A. 

Southwick,  a  leading  merchant  said,  “  That  on  Easter 

Sunday  night  he  signed  the  pledge,  and  when  he  did 

so  he  gave  his  heart  to  Christ.  For  years  he  had 

24 


370 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


been  a  drinking  man,  and  had  several  times  been 
prostrated  by  severe  illness,  but  when  he  recovered 
he  always  went  back  to  drinking.  He  joined  a  good 
temperance  society,  thinking  that  he  would  be  safe. 
For  a  time  he  was  safe,  but  the  tempter  became 
stronger  and  he  fell.  .  He  then  thought  he  could  ab¬ 
stain  from  drinking  by  his  own  will,  but  the  same 
ill-success  attended  his  efforts,  and  now  he  could  say 
that  no  power  but  that  of  the  blessed  Saviour  could 
keep  a  man  firm  and  true.  A  man  must  rely  upon  a 
strength  greater  than  his  own ;  he  knew  it  from  ex¬ 
perience,  and  would  say  to  all  that  when  they  signed 
the  pledge,  if  they  sincerely  desired  to  keep  it, 
the  best  and  surest  way  would  be  to  ask  God  to  help 
them.,? 


RAN  THE  GAUNTLET  OF  THE  RUM  SHOPS  IN  CHICAGO. 

At  a  Gospel  Temperance  Meeting,  Miss  Willard 
recently  said,  “  That  as  often  as  she  heard  the  testi¬ 
monials  of  reformed  men  she  wished  the  man  she 
loved  best,  her  brother,  could  stand  on  the  Taber¬ 
nacle  platform  and  tell  what  strong  drink  had  done 
for  him,  but  he  was  a  thousand  miles  away  and  could 
not  testify.  She  remembered  how  susceptible  he  was 
to  religious  inflences,  his  successful  college  course,  his 
entry  into  the  ministry  and  the  large  harvest  which 
he  gathered  in,  and  how,  when  broken  down,  he  went 
to  a  physician  for  medicine  and  was  given  a  receipt 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE 


371 


which  was  practically  a  receipt  for  strong  drink. 
The  appetite  grew  on  him,  and  at  last  his  devoted 
wife  made  me  acquainted  with  his  condition.  When 
I  saw  him,  he  held  up  the  Bible  and  said,  ‘  Do  you 
believe  in  this  ?  I  tell  you  that  no  drinking  man 
can  believe  in  the  Bible.  I  believe  in  nothing  but  in 
the  fact  that  I  am  going  headlong  to  perdition.’  He 
said  a  man  needed  nothing  but  will,  and  he  prom¬ 
ised  he  would  not  drink  any  more,  but  I  need  not 
tell  you  how  he  fell.”  Miss  Willard  then  related  how 
her  brother  was  saved  from  the  curse  of  intemperance 
through  the  intervention  of  a  helping  hand  and  a 
willing  heart  in  the  person  of  Deacon  Willard  of  Chi¬ 
cago,  who  preached  Christ  to  him  and  induced  him 
to  again  accept  Him  as  his  Saviour;  and  the  words 
of  life  act  as  a  talisman  on  that  brother  and  enables 
him  to  run  the  gauntlet  of  the  rum  shops  in  Chicago, 
and  he  has  stood  firm  for  years. 


u  FOUR  TIMES  IN  PRISON.” 

John  Murray,  one  of  Mr.  Murphy’s  recent  converts, 
being  introduced  to  a  meeting,  spoke  as  follows: 
11  Six  weeks  ago  I  was  on  my  way  over  the  hills  to 
the  poor  house.  I  was  intemperate  for  twenty-six 
years.  My  father  left  me  with  a  good  trade,  a  large 
blacksmith  shop,  and  a  two-story  house.  In  two 
years  I  swallowed  them  all,  and  I  have  swallowed 
everything  that  I  have  earned  since.  I  would  work 


372 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


* 


for  a  week  or  two  and  then  go  on  a  drunk  for  a  week 
or  two.  I  have  had  the  mania-a-potu  twice  and  have 
been  four  times  committed  to  Moyamensing  prison 
for  drunkenness.”  He  depicted  what  he  had  under¬ 
gone  during  the  first  few  days  after  signing  the 
Murphy  pledge.  For  four  days  he  could  not  take  any 
nourishment,  but  by  the  grace  of  God  he  had  held 
out. 


44  GOD  DID  ALL  FOR  HIM.” 

In  a  New  England  Temperance  Meeting,  a  Mr. 
McElwain  was  the  first  speaker.  He  said,  “  That  he 
was  ashamed  to  get  up  and  say  that  for  twenty-five 
years  he  had  been  a  slave  to  drink,  but  such  was  the 
fact.  For  seventeen  years  he  was  a  moderate  drinker, 
but  eight  years  ago  he  became  convinced  that  he  was 
forming  an  appetite  that  was  getting  the  better  of  him. 
He  joined  all  kinds  of  temperance  societies,  but  fell 
again  and  again  during  eight  years.  He  did  every¬ 
thing  he  could  in  his  own  strength,  but  after  eight 
years’  struggle,  he  was  drunk  from  Thanksgiving 
Day  to  the  first  of  March.  Everybody  gave  him  up, 
even  his  little  boy’s  Sabbath  school  teacher  telling 
the  little  fellow  that  his  father  must  die  as  he  was 
living.  Early  last  March  he  was  a  perfect  wreck. 
While  intoxicated  he  went,  he  knew  not  how,  into  a 
Baptist  prayer  meeting.  He  arose  and  asked  for 
prayers ;  the  minister  talked  to  him  and  made  him 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


373 


promise  to  go  to  church  again  Sunday  morning. 
Saturday  he  got  up  and  got  more  rum.  Next  day  a 
Baptist  brother  took  him  to  church,  and  he  went 
three  times  that  day,  intoxicated.  At  noon  the  church 
people  talked  the  matter  over  and  appointed  a  detail 
of  men  to  watch  him  and  get  him  sober.  When  the 
rum  was  out  of  him  he  was  very  weak,  and  in  that 
condition  he  was  brought  to  the  Tabernacle,  where 
he  arose  for  prayer  and  prayed  himself.  He  got  up 
from  his  knees  as  free  from  the  appetite  as  any  person 
in  the  Tabernacle,  and  it  never  had  come  to  him  in 
the  slightest  degree  from  that  time.  His  home  had 
been  changed  and  his  wife  and  children  and  he  him¬ 
self  were  happy.  He  expressed  the  hope  that  those 
who  were  trying  to  conquer  their  appetite  in  their 
own  strength  might  become  convinced  that  they 
could  not  do  it  and  surrender  themselves  to  God. 
He  took  no  credit  at  all  to  himself.  God  having 
done  all  for  him.” 


“that  undertow  of  temperance.” 

At  a  Murphy  meeting  in  the  Quaker  City,  Dr.  J. 
S.  Cram  said :  “That  he  was  glad  to  be  present,  and 
he  was  attracted  to  the  place  in  spite  of  himself.  Six 
months  ago  he  heard  Mr.  Murphy  in  the  city  of 
Pittsburg,  but  he  had  no  faith  in  him,  because  he 
esteemed  him  as  a  fanatic,  and  rather  preferred  the 
beer  gardens  and  theatre  to  the  church.  He  signed 
the  pledge  in  Concert  Hall,  after  his  wife  had  done 


374 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


so.  She  had  often  desired  him  to  take  a  stand  for 
total  abstinence,  but  he  felt  that  he  would  be  signing 
away  his  liberty  if  he  appended  his  name  to  the  tem¬ 
perance  pledge.  Six  weeks  ago  he  gave  his  heart  to 
Jesus,  and  has  experienced  a  happiness  that  he  had 
never  known  before.  He  thanked  God  for  that 
undertow  of  temperance,  which  had  borne  him  along 
until  it  landed  him  at  the  foot  of  the  Cross.  If  the 
man  who  signs  the  pledge  does  not  give  his  heart  to 
God  there  will  be  little  hope  that  he  will  keep  it.” 


“  PREPARATION  TO  COMMIT  SUICIDE.” 

At  a  Murphy  gathering  in  Pennsylvania,  Dr.  Lees 
said :  “  He  had  a  curious  story  to  relate.  When 
twenty  years  of  age  he  married  an  orphan  girl  sixteen 
years  of  age  on  three  weeks’  acquaintance.  He  began 
to  study  medicine,  and  his  family  increased  of  course. 
He  graduated  at  the  University  of  Pennsylvania, 
went  through  the  army  without  drinking,  but  was 
finally  taken  sick,  and  came  out  of  the  attack  a  per¬ 
fect  slave  to  morphine.  He  had  an  insatiable  thirst 
for  liquor,  which  soon  ate  up  his  library  and  all  the 
comforts  of  home.  He  had  made  every  preparation 
to  commit  suicide,  but  a  hand  stayed  him,  and  he 
went  down  on  his  knees  and  prayed  for  deliverance. 
Six  weeks  afterwards  he  signed  the  pledge,  and  now 
he  was  a  sane  man  again.” 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


375 


a  THIRTY  YEARS  OF  INTEMPERANCE.” 

Mr.  John  F.  Shorey,  of  Mass.,  recently  said  to  an 
audience : 

“My  friends,  it  is  a  joy  to  stand  before  you  to-day 
— a  joy  of  one  of  the  redeemed — redeemed  from  the 
lowest  degradation  of  intemperance  that  it  is  possible 
for  a  man  to  arrive  at.  Thirty  years  ago  I  took  my 
first  drink  of  liquor.  You  may  think  it  singular,  but, 
as  I  remember  it,  it  was  on  my  twenty-first  birthday, 
and  to  morrow  is  my  fifty-first.  I  remember  taking 
it  down  here  in  Federal  street,  in  this  city,  and  from 
that  time  on  I  continued  to  drink  as  a ‘moderate 
drinker/  and  so  on  until  the  appetite  became  so 
strong  that  I  could  not  resist  it.  On  that  day,  when 
the  boys  think  they  really  are  free,  on  that  day  I 
sold  myself  to  Satan,  and  how  well  I  served  him  you 
may  well  know  when  I  tell  you  that  for  thirty  years 
I  was  a  victim  to  my  appetite.  It  is  hardly  necessary 
for  me  to  go  through  with  my  experience.  Thirty- 
one  years  ago  I  was  a  Sabbath  School  scholar  at  Tre- 
mont  Temple.  I  want  to  say  that  right  here,  because 
there  are  so  many  young  men  around  here  who  think 
there  is  no  danger  of  their  becoming  a  drunkard. 
They  say  that  the  influence  of  the  Sabbath  School, 
the  influence  of  the  church,  the  influence  of  all 
around  them,  will  keep  them  from  intemperance. 
But  I  tell  you  there  is  no  influence  that  can  keep 
you,  but  the  power  of  God  that  can  save  you  from 
the  evils  of  intemperance.” 


376 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


“  MONEY  BROKERS  USED  TO  GET  ALL  MY  CLOTHES.” 

The  testimony  of  Mr.  Samuel  McLain,  on  a  recent 
occasion,  at  the  Philadelphia  Tabernacle,  was  as  fol¬ 
lows  : 

a  I  am  thankful  to  God  I  am  a  reformed  man,  and 
intend  to  keep  so.  I  have  been  so  low  in  the  world 
that  I  could  take  the  clothes  off  my  back  and  give 
them  for  whiskey.  But  I  would  like  to  see  the  man 
who  would  get  me  to  do  it  now.  I  have  been  de¬ 
spised  by  a  Christian  father  and  mother.  I  have  been 
thrown  out  on  the  world  homeless.  I  am  as  good  a 
mechanic  as  there  is  in  the  city  of  Philadelphia,  and 
I  worked  at  my  trade  before  I  became  a  drunkard, 
but  through  the  effects  of  liquor  it  has  left  me  in 
Moyamensing  Prison  and  the  Eastern  Penitentiary. 

“  Since  I  have  signed  the  pledge  I  have  respectable 
friends.  When  I  came  into  this  institution  I  had 
nothing,  but  look  at  me  now ;  and,  thank  God,  I 
have  two  or  three  more  suits.  The  money  brokers 
used  to  get  all  my  clothes,  but  they  don’t  get  them 
now.” 


“FROM  FORTY  TO  FIFTY  GLASSES  OF  LIQUOR  A 

DAY.” 

In  a  Boston  meeting,  a  Mr.  Jackson  said : 

“  It  was  not  an  easy  thing  for  a  man  who  had  fol¬ 
lowed  a  life  of  intemperance  to  get  up  and  confess  it, 
but  the  gospel  temperance  work  made  men  strong. 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


377 


He  commenced  drinking  when  he  was  twenty-three 
years  old,  not  because  he  wanted  liquor,  but  because 
older  men  invited  him  to  drink,  and  he  continued  in 
that  course  for  twenty  years.  He  finally  drank  all  the 
way  from  forty  to  fifty  glasses  of  liquor  a  day,  and  he 
tried  to  stop  but  could  not.  A  year  ago  last  January 
he  became  convinced  he  must  stop  drinking,  the  plan 
of  salvation  was  not  new  to  him,  and  after  carefully 
considering  the  matter  he  asked  God  to  help  him.  The 
next  day  he  went  into  a  rum  saloon,  pushed  in  as  it 
were  by  the  Evil  One  himself,  called  for  liquor, 
poured  it  out  and  left  the  saloon  without  drinking. 
The  same  thing  occurred  the  next  day.  Could  that 
have  been  my  own  natural  strength  that  prevented 
my  drinking  that  liquor?  No.  It  was  the  power  of 
God.  And  since  January,  1876,  God  has  kept  me 
from  drink,  and  also  provided  for  my  temporal 
wants.” 


“one  of  the  worst  of  drinking  men.” 

Lately,  at  a  Murphy  meeting  in  Pennsylvania, 
David  Warburton  said  that  “he  was  one  of  the  worst 
of  drinking  men.  He  had  drank  liquor  in  every 
form,  and  had  been  crushed  to  the  lowest  condition. 
He  had  sold  his  hat,  coat  and  shoes  for  rum,  and, 
through  drunkenness  had  sold  the  wedding  ring  given 
him  by  his  wife.  He  was  a  disgrace  to  society,  and 
therefore  was  not  fit  to  speak.  He  and  his  wife  went 
upon  their  knees  and  asked  God  to  be  with  them  and 
to  pardon  them  for  their  sins.  He  divided  a  loaf  of 


378 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


bread  with  his  poor  wife  ;  it  was  all  that  they  hady 
and  it  was  rum  that  made  them  so  poor.”  The 
speaker’s  appearance  was  sufficient  to  satisfy  any  one 
of  his  life  of  dissipation. 


“TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS  OF  SLAVERY.” 

I 

At  a  Moody  Gospel  Temperance  Meeting,  in  Bos¬ 
ton,  a  Mr.  McIntyre  said :  “  It  is  wholly  unexpected 
that  I  am  called  upon  to-day,  but  if  there  is  any  one 
thing  that  I  thank  God  for  more  than  another,  it  is  that 
He  gave  me  the  disposition  and  willingness  when  He 
converted  me,  to  stand  up  whenever  I  had  an  oppor¬ 
tunity  to  testify  to  His  salvation.  It  is  always  a  sad 
sight  to  see  a  man  possessed  of  ordinary  abilities 
stand  up  before  an  audience  and  acknowledge  that 
for  twenty-five  years  he  has  been  a  slave  to  rum  ;  but 
such  is  the  fact.  For  the  first  fifteen  or  seventeen 
years  after  I  commenced  drinking — I  commenced 
quite  young — I  was  what  they  call  a  ‘  moderate 
drinker;’  for  the  first  fifteen  or  seventeen  years  I 
thought  I  could  leave  off  at  any  time  ;  but  I  was  mis¬ 
taken.  I  found  I  could  not  quit  it ;  nothing  was  of 
avail  except  the  power  of  God.” 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


879* 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

DOWN  TO  “  BUMMER-POISON/’ 

At  a  temperance  meeting  lately,  William  Murray^ 
of  Boston,  said  u  he  had  travelled  all  the  way  from  the 
fifteen  cent  sample-room  drink  to  the  five  cent  bum¬ 
mer-poison,  and  had  been  noted  for  his  swollen  head, 
red  nose  and  blood-shotten  eyes.  He  had  concluded, 
'If  he  could  not  be  a  light-house  he  would  be  a  can¬ 
dle.’  Therefore,  he  had  signed  the  pledge,  and  he 
was  going  to  do  all  he  could  to  induce  others  to  follow 
him.  Since  he  had  become  temperate  old  friends 
had  returned  to  him  and  new  ones  he  found  in 
abundance.” 


“the  only  true  pledge.” 

Recently,  at  a  Gospel  Temperance  Meeting,  Mr. 
Powers,  of  New  York,  said  “  for  fifteen  years  he  was 
a  drinking  man,  and  his  business  led  him  into  hotels 
all  over  the  country.  He  was  successful  in  business, 
but  the  dark  cloud  of  intemperance  had  followed  him. 
Three  weeks  ago  he  experienced  a  change  of  heart, 
and  every  phase  of  his  life  was  changed  thereby.  He 
had  been  powerfully  tempted  during  the  past  three 
weeks,  and  while  dining  at  a  cafe  a  friend  placed  a 
goblet  of  ale  before  him  to  drink.  On  the  impulse  of 
the  moment  he  seized  the  goblet  and  threw  it  across 
the  room,  paid  his  check  and  left  never  to  enter  it 


380 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


again.  He  had  signed  pledges  enough  to  paper  the 
Tabernacle,  but  they  were  only  idle  words.  The  only 
true  pledge  is  the  grace  of  God.” 


“  NOT  TOO  MUCH  RELIGION.” 

Mr.  Hall,  the  active  reformer,  of  Pittsburg,  said  at 
a  Western  meeting,  “  that  he  had  entered  upon  a  re¬ 
ligious  life,  and  hoped  to  be  more  religious  in  the 
future.  Some  people  say  there  is  too  much  religion 
in  this  thing.  There  was  a  time  when  he  would  have 
said  the  same  thing;  but  it  was  not  so  with  him  now. 
He  urged  all  to  give  their  hearts  to  Christ,  and  hoped 
that  all  who  had  signed  the  pledge  would  do  so.” 


“A  DRUG  STORE  TIPPLER.” 

Mr.  C.  S.  Ritz,  of  Mansfield,  Ohio,  said  at  a 
gathering:  “That  he  was  happy  to  be  there.  He 
did  not  appear  before  the  people  as  a  reformed 
drunkard,  but  one  of  those  sly  chaps — a  reformed 
/tippler — a  man  who  slips  into  a  drug-store,  gets  be¬ 
hind  the  prescription  case,  takes  his  drink,  pays  his 
ten  cents,  and  slips  out  again.  He  had  seen  gentle¬ 
men  behind  those  cases  take  their  drink  on  the  sly, 
and  the  next  Sunday  he  had  seen  them  take  up  a 
collection  in  church  for  the  heathen.” 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


381 


“SOLD  $16,000  WORTH  IN  ONE  DAY.” 

Mr.  E.  L.  Menagher,  of  Gallipolis,  Ohio,  urged 
upon  a  meeting  the  importance  of  taking  the  weary 
and  the  fallen  by  the  hand  and  rescuing  them  :  “For 
fourteen  years  he  had  manufactured  whiskey,  and 
had  sold  as  high  as  $16,000  worth,  in  one  day,  in 
Pittsburg,  but  he  has  given  it  up,  and  is  now  engaged 
in  promoting  temperance.” 


PROMISING  BEFORE  AN  AUDIENCE. 

Mr.  George  W.  Southworth,  of  Philadelphia,  re¬ 
lated,  at  a  meeting,  his  experience  as  a  moderate 
drinker:  “He  had  often  made  resolutions  to  stop, 
but  he  always  found  his  appetite  stronger  than  his 
mental  promises.  He  concluded  that  if  he' stood  up 
before  this  vast  audience  and  promised  never  to 
drink  again  he  could  keep  his  resolution,  and  so  he 
had  signed  the  pledge.” 


“a  professional  pledge-taker.” 

Mr.  John  Carrigan  said,  at  a  meeting  in  Philadel¬ 
phia  :  “That  he  had  been  a  professional  pledge- 
taker.  His  pledges  lasted  about  twenty-four  hours, 
and  he  had  made  enough  resolutions  to  fill  a  fashion¬ 
able  lady’s  Saratoga  trunk.  All  was  sunshine  at  his 
home  now,  and  he  hoped  all  his  friends  would  sign 
the  Murphy  pledge.” 


382 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


“CAME  TWO  HUNDRED  MILES  TO  BE  redeemed/’ 

Mr.  Holden,  at  a  Boston  Tabernacle  meeting,  said  : 
u  That  he  had  sought  God  for  years,  and  at  last  had 
found  him.  He  tried  to  drink  a  glass  now  and  again, 
but  he  could  not  control  his  appetite.  He  had  a 
praying  wife,  who  had  prayed  for  him  for  fifteen 
years,  but  now  he  believed  in  the  efficacy  of  prayer. 
He  came  from  Canada,  200  miles,  to  Boston  for  the 
purpose  of  seeking  the  Lord,  and  for  three  or  four 
days  after  arriving  in  the  city  was  wandering  about 
from  place  to  place  in  a  drunken  condition,  and  his 
friends  unable  to  find  him.  When  he  became  sober 
he  fell  on  his  knees  and  asked  God  to  save  him  from 
his  sins.  Since  that  time  he  had  found  the  peace  of 
God  in  his  heart,  and  now,  instead  of  carrying  a  flask 
of  brandy  in  his  coat  pocket,  he  carried  a  testament. 
His  appetite  for  liquor  had  departed,  and  he  made  an 
urgent  appeal  to  Christians  to  extend  a  kind  and 
helping  hand  to  the  poor  drunkards  with  whom  they 
came  in  contact.  That  was  the  way  to  help  them 
and  touch  their  hearts.” 


“saved  through  a  wife’s  prayers.” 

At  a  great  meeting  in  Wilmington,  Delaware,  Mr. 
Daniel  B.  Hall,  in  a  telling  and  effective  speech, 
made  reference  to  his  wife,  who  was  present,  and  pic¬ 
tured  her  anguish,  tears  and  sufferings  in  days  that 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


883 


were  past,  on  account  of  his  intemperance:  “  Through 
her  prayers  he  was  saved,  and  he  prayed  God  that  he 
might  ever  be  able  to  stand  fast  and  uphold  the  ban¬ 
ner  of  Temperance.” 


“beaten  by  one  glass  of  whiskey.” 

Mr.  John  M.  Nesbitt,  of  Pittsburg,  at  a  meeting 
said  :  u  That  he  had  studied  law,  went  into  politics, 
became  a  candidate  for  Senatorial  honors,  and  was 
beaten  by  one  glass  of  whiskey.  The  morning  of  the 
day  of  election  he  was  seen  turning  down  a  glass  of 
whiskey,  and  the  gentleman  who  saw  him  voted 
against  him,  and  that  vote  defeated  him.  He  owns 
considerable  stock  in  the  town  where  he  formerly 
lived.  He  has  no  money,  but  he  has  stock  to  the 
amount  of  ten  cents  in  every  brick  of  every  saloon  in 
the  place.” 


“cost  him  $100,000.” 

Mr.  Reynolds,  at  a  meeting  in  the  Queen  City, 
said  :  “  He  was  a  newly  reformed  man,  and  that  it 
cost  him  just  $100,000  to  learn  what  he  now  knows 
for  the  first  time.” 


“rather  have  the  red  in  his  button-hole.” 

Mr.  George  W.  Hotchkiss,  of  Bay  City,  Michigan, 
a  “red  badge”  wearer,  in  addressing  a  meeting,  said  : 
“That  he  had  been  told  of  the  questionable  character 


384 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


of  his  badge.  But  he  preferred  to  carry  the  red  in 
his  button-hole  rather  than  on  his  nose.  He  re¬ 
minded  the  audience  that  the  principle  symbolized  by 
the  blue  ribbon,  if  persevered  in,  would  keep  the 
blue  devils  out  of  their  brains.” 


“a  dollar  in  his  pocket.” 

A  sailor,  Thomas  Halliday,  at  a  New  England 
meeting,  blessed  God  that,  after  an  inebriate  life, 
and  one  of  constant  poverty,  he  could  now  put  on  a 
good  pair  of  pants  and  coat,  and  have  a  dollar  in  his 
pocket. 


“  A  RICHER  MAN.” 

Mr.  Heveron,  a  Murphy  reformer  of  Allegheny 
county,  said,  at  a  meeting:  “That  he  had  been  a 
business  man  ;  was  a  merchant  and  manufacturer  of 
pig  iron  for  many  years ;  but,  through  the  accursed 
influence  of  strong  drink,  he  had  been  overpowered, 
lost  his  property,  his  reputation,  and  his  character. 
Yet,  he  thanked  God  that,  noth  withstanding,  he  was 
a  richer  man  than  ever  in  his  life  before,  and  felt  an 
abiding  interest  in  temperance.” 


“  GASH  IN  TEE  BANK.” 

A  German,  at  a  Murphy  meeting  in  Pennsylvania, 
although  speaking  the  English  language  imperfectly, 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


385 


earnestly  and  rapidly  said,  “  I  shust  vants  to  tell  you 
peoples  somethings.  Once  I  drank  so  mooch  lager 
beer  I  vus  blind  all  the  vile.  Now  I  drinks  no  more 
lager,  and  I  halfe  gash  in  tee  bank  and  gash  to  gif  to 
peoples  vot  needs  some  helps.” 


THE  PRAYER  OF  FAITH.  _ 

At  a  meeting  in  the  Moody  Tabernacle,  a  Mr.  Morgan 
said  :  “  That  for  years  he  had  been  what  was  called  a 
moderate  drinker,  though  his  drinking  had  cost  him 
an  excellent  situation  in  Boston.  He  described  how 
lie  had  become  interested  in  the  Tabernacle  meetings, 
reading  of  them  in  the  newspapers,  and  had  thus  been 
drawn  to  think  seriously  of  religious  matters.  After 
awhile  he  prayed  to  God  for  light,  and  when  his 
prayer  became  the  prayer  of  faith,  it  was  answered. 
His  appetite  for  drink  and  even  for  tobacco  was  taken 
from  him,  and  he  felt  that  he  could  do  nothing  but 
shout  for  joy.” 


u  THE  HAPPIEST  TWO  MONTHS.” 

At  a  New  England  Meeting,  a  Mr.  Hart  testified 
u  to  the  power  of  God  to  keep  men  from  strong  drink, 
lie  was  a  reformed  man,  redeemed  in  the  blood  of 
Christ.  We  must  look  to  a  higher  power  than  pledges, 
promises  and  our  own  will.  Two  months  ago  he 
-  became  converted,  and  they  have  been  the  two  hap¬ 
piest  months  he  ever  passed.  He  felt  stronger  to- 

25 


386 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


day  than  when  he  left  off  drinking,  and  concluded  by 
pointing  all  drunkards  to  the  cross  of  Christ  for 
strength  and  salvation.” 


44  FAR  HAPPIER  THAN  FOR  FOURTEEN  YEARS.” 

At  a  Murphy  meeting  in  Pennsylvania,  Mr.  John 
Martin  said,  44  That  he  had  signed  the  pledge  fourteen 
days  ago,  and  he  would  say  that  he  was  far  happier 
than  he  had  been  for  fourteen  years.  He  thanked 
God  that  he  had  been  enabled  to  keep  the  pledge, 
and  by  His  power  he  would  never  touch  it  or  drink 
it  so  long  as  he  should  live.” 


41  PLEADED  AT  THE  BAR.” 

A  Mr.  Hughes,  of  Springfield,  Illinois,  at  a  large 
meeting  said  :  44 1  have  never  made  many  speeches, 
but  I  have  often  pleaded  at  the  bar.  I  don’t  mean  a 
legal  bar,  but  I  mean  the  illegal  one.  I  have  signed 
the  pledge,  and  I  hope  you  will  all  pray  for  me  that 
I  may  make  good  my  resolve.” 


Dr  HENRY  A.  REYNOLDS 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


387 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

DR.  HENRY  A.  REYNOLDS. — BIOGRAPHICAL  FACTS. 

The  following  remarks,  taken  from  the  lips  of 
Dr.  Reynolds,  who  is  regarded  as  the  head  and  front 
of  the  “  Red  Ribbon  39  total  abstinence  movement, 
are  worthy  so  prominent  a  leader  and  worker.  They 
have  in  them  the  ring  of  an  earnest  and  faithful  re¬ 
former.  The  doctor  uttered  them,  not  many  months 
since,  at  a  meeting  of  the  National  Temperance 
Convention.  It  may  be  proper  to  remark  here  that 
the  followers  of  this  Apostle  are  in  thorough  accord 
with  the  Murphy  Movement ;  are  almost  identical 
with  it  in  their  methods  and  successes ;  and  freely 
exchange  sympathies,  courtesies,  and  laborers.  They 
are  perhaps  of  a  little  later  growth  than  the  Murphy 
uprising,  and  have  no  doubt  received  strength  from 
it.  Evidently,  both  are  of  the  same  Spirit — that  of 
the  Lord  of  Hosts.  Dr.  Reynolds  said : 

AN  INHERITED  APPETITE. 

“  It  does  not  put  me  out  in  the  least  to  follow  such 
speakers  as  the  Hon.  Mr.  Raper,  Rev.  Dr.  Miner,  Gen. 
Neal  Dow,  Mrs.  Mary  Livermore,  Wendell  Phillips, 
or  any  other  orator,  as  I  do  not  make  any  profession 
to  oratory  myself.  I  claim  to  be  one  of  God’s  feeblest 
instrumentalities,  raised  up  by  his  grace,  and  trying 


388 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


to  do  something  for  him  and  for  those  who  have  suf- 
fered,  as  I  have  suffered,  through  rum.  I  am  one  of 
those  unfortunate  men  who  have  an  inherited  appe¬ 
tite  for  strong  drink.  I  love  liquor  to-night  as  well 
as  an  infant  loves  milk. 

THE  SUFFERING  AND  COST. 

“  The  love  for  intoxicants  is  as  much  a  part  of  my 
make-up  as  my  hand,  and  at  the  time  I  left  off  drink¬ 
ing  I  had  an  experience  of  twenty  years.  I  have 
suffered  from  delirium  tremens  as  the  result  of  drink¬ 
ing  intoxicants.  It  has  cost  me  three  thousand  dol¬ 
lars  for  what  I  know  about  drinking  intoxicants ;  and 
I  considered  my  life,  previous  to  two  years  ago,  ten 
thousand  times  worse  than  thrown  away.  I  have 
walked  my  father’s  house  night  after  night,  for  seven 
nights  and  days,  a  raving,  crazy  madman,  as  the  re¬ 
sult  of  intoxicating  beverages. 

“  COULD  ALMOST  HEAR  THEM  HISS  AT  ME.” 

u  At  the  time  that  I  was  suffering  and  upon  the 
verge  of  delirium  tremens,  I  was  obliged  to  do  some¬ 
thing  I  had  never  done  before  in  order  to  rid  myself 
of  this  infernal  curse.  I  had  drunk  my  last  drink. 
I  had  broken  my  bottle.  I  had  sworn  off  before  a 
justice  of  the  peace.  I  had  done  everything  men  or¬ 
dinarily  do  to  rid  themselves  of  the  habit  of  drink¬ 
ing,  all  to  no  purpose.  I  had  delirium  tremens,  and 
it  would  almost  seem  as  though  a  man  who  suffered 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


389 


as  I  during  those  seven  days  and  nights  would  never 
touch  the  infernal  stuff  again  ;  but  I  did,  and  several 
times  afterwards  I  was  on  the  verge  of  the  delirium 
tremens,  so  near  to  them  that  I  could  almost  look 
over  and  see  them,  and  hear  them  hiss  and  howl  at 
me. 


ENTREATED  GOD  TO  SAVE  HIM. 

« 

u  I  was  obliged  to  do  something  different  from 
what  I  had  ever  done  before  in  order  to  rid  myself 
of  this  infernal  appetite.  I  knew  but  very  little 
about  the  Bible.  Drinking  men  do  not  read  the 
Bible  much.  But  I  knew  God  had  promised  to  assist 
those  who  asked  Him  in  faith,  believing,  and  I  threw 
myself  upon  my  knees,  in  my  office,  by  my  lounge, 
and  asked  Almighty  God  to  save  me,  and  promised 
Him  that  if  He  would  save  me  from  such  sufferings  as 
I  had  once  been  through,  that,  with  Ilis  assistance,  I 
would  be  true  to  myself  and  to  Him,  and  do  what  I 
could  to  make  others  happy. 

SAVED  THROUGH  THE  PRAYERS  OF  NOBLE  WOMEN. 

a  At  that  time  a  little  band  of  noble  women,  who 
had  caught  the  inspiration  from  the  West,  were  pray¬ 
ing  in  my  native  city  in  a  public  place.  Some  of 
these  women  had  been  educated  in  churches  where 
they  did  not  believe  in  woman’s  praying  or  talking 
in  public.  Some  of  them  had  suffered  very  much  as 
the  result  of  having  drinking  husbands  and  sons. 


390 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


They  had  received  no  assistance  from  the  pulpit,  law, 
or  press,  and  were  compelled  to  do  something  dif¬ 
ferent  from  what  they  had  ever  done  before.  So  they 
threw  themselves  upon  their  knees  at  the  foot  of  the 
Cross,  and  asked  God  to  give  them  relief  from  their 
long  suffering.  And  I  stand  here  to-night  believing 
myself  to  be  a  monument  of  God’s  grace,  saved 
through  the  prayers  of  the  noble  women  of  America, 
and  feel  myself  to  be  a  beacon  light  erected  upon  the 
breakers  upon  which  I  have  been  shipwrecked,  to 
warn  otherfe  off  from  those  shoals  and  breakers. 

“DOING  WHAT  I  CAN  TO  MAKE  OTHER  PEOPLE  HAPPY.” 

“  Since  I  signed  the  pledge  I  have  become  a  happy 
man.  I  used  to  be  an  unhappy  man.  I  didn’t  want 
to  live;  I  dragged  out  a  miserable  existence.  I 
would  have  cut  my  throat,  or  blown  out  my  brains 
but  didn’t  dare  to.  Now,  I  am  one  of  the  happiest, 
men  in  the  world.  Instead  of  going  about  the  streets 
cursing  and  swearing,  I  am  going  about  from  Dan  to 
Beersheba  doing  what  I  can  to  make  other  people 
happy,  singing  4  Nearer,  my  God,  to  thee,’  1  Rock  of 
Ages,’  ‘All  Hail  the  Power  of  Jesus’  Name,’  and 
looking  upon  the  world  as  my  country,  and  mankind 
as  my  countrymen. 

“ENCOURAGEMENT  AND  SYMPATHY  FROM  FRANCIS 

MURPHY.” 

44  And  I  want  to  say  a  word  here  in  reference  to 
Mr.  Murphy.  You  may  have  noticed  that  we  have 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


891 


been  very  much  together.  I  met  with  him  daring 
the  first  of  *my  experience  as  a  reformed  drunkard. 
I  received  words  of  encouragement  and  sympathy 
from  him.  A  reformed  man  needs  kind  words  and 
sympathy  from  some  one.  I  believe  Mr.  Murphy  to 
be  (I  will  say  it,  notwithstanding  he  is  present)  one 
of  God’s  accepted  noblemen.  I  consider  it  to  be  a 
privilege  and  a  pleasure  to  be  with  him,  and  to  receive 
at  the  present  time  his  kind  words  and  sympathy. 

“  SYMPATHY  BETWEEN  REFORMED  DRUNKARDS.” 

“  There  are  a  great  many  people  who  do  not  under¬ 
stand  that  there  is  a  sympathy  between  two  reformed 
drunkards  that  cannot  exist  between  a  man  who  has 
drank  and  a  man  who  has  not.  A  man  who  has 
never  drank  don’t  know  how  it  is  himself;  two  men 
who  have,  do  understand  perfectly  well,  and  can 
sympathize  with  each  other.  A  man  who  never 
drank  would  condemn,  while  we  would  pity  one 
whose  appetite  is  almost  beyond  human  control. 
Brother  Murphy  has  said  that  he  wishes  he  could 
blot  out  his  past  life.  I  do  not  feel  so.  I  would  not 
have  my  past  life  wiped  out  if  I  could  ;  not  that  it  is 
pleasant  to  recall,  but  I  have  been  fitted  by  suffering 
to  sympathize  with  men  who  so  much  need  sym¬ 
pathy,  and  who  have  so  little.” 

“  IT  IS  god’s  WORK.” 

“You  have  heard,  doubtless,  of  the  work  which 
has  been  going  on  in  Massachusetts  and  Maine.  I 


392 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


claim  that  it  is  God’s  work,  and  at  His  feet  I  lay  all 
the  glory.  Judging  from  a  human  standpoint,  it  is  a 
wonderful  work,  but  judging  from  a  spiritual  point 
of  view  it  is  not  wonderful,  because  nothing  God 
does  is  wonderful.  A  minister  said  to  me  the  other 
day :  1  Dr.  Reynolds,  I  have  often  heard  of  you,  and 
am  glad  to  meet  you.  I  have  an  offer  to  make  you. 
I  have  fifty  dollars  in  my  pocket  that  I  will  give  you 
if  you  will  tell  me  how  you  do  this  work.’  I  told 
him  I  did  not  do  it,  that  God  did  it.  I  told  him  that 
I  looked  upon  myself  as  one  of  the  foolish  things  of 
this  world  that  had  been  raised  up  to  confound  the 

•  V 

wise. 

RECLAIMED  AND  FULL-SOULED  CHRISTIANS. 

“  I  have  a  sympathy  for  the  drunkard  which  I  can¬ 
not  express  or  explain.  I  love  him  as  I  love  my 
brother;  and  as  the  result  of  going  out  and  taking 
God  for  my  leader,  and  acting  what  I  believe  to  be  a 
practical  Christian  life,  I  have  the  honor  and  privi- 
•  lege  and  pleasure  of  standing  here  to-night  and  saying 
to  you,  that  during  the  past  twenty-one  months,  end¬ 
ing  the  tenth  of  this  month,  fifty-one  thousand  men 
have  been  reclaimed  from  drunkenness  and  planted 
upon  the  rock  of  total  abstinence — looking  to  God 
for  assistance  to  enable  them  to  keep  their  feet  there. 
Hundreds,  and  hundreds,  and  hundreds  are  full-souled 
Christians.” 

“saved  by  going  down  to  them.” 

“They  haven’t  been  saved  by  cuffs,  and  curses, 
and  the  cold  shoulder,  but  by  the  hand  of  brotherly 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


393 


love  and  sympathy  ;  not  by  standing  up  here  and 
beckoning  to  them  to  come  up,  but  by  going  down  to 
them  as  Christ  did,  and  giving  them  a  hand  through 
which  an  electrical  thrill  of  sympathy  went,  impreg¬ 
nating  their  whole  organization,  and  making  them 
feel  that  they  have  one  friend.  And  if  there  is  a  man 
in  God’s  world  who  is  ready  to  accept  the  hand  of 
friendship  and  sympathy  and  brotherly  love,  it  is  the 
poor,  unfortunate  drunkard.  These  men  must  be 
saved  by  practical  Christian  work  ;  by  treating  them 
as  men.” 

“  COMMENCED  AMONG  THE  HUMBLER  CLASSES.” 

“Now,  this  reform  movement  is  not  very  high- 
toned.  It  is  even  found  fault  with  because  it  is 
not  high-toned  enough.  The  reason  is  because 
these  high-toned  people,  so  called,  won’t  come  down. 
They  don’t  dare  to  do  right.  They  don’t  do  right. 
If  they  did,  the  reform  clubs,  instead  of  being  made 
up  of  middle-class  men  and  humble  men,  would  be 
made  up  in  part  of  those  in  higher  circles  of  society, 
who  would  give  it  a  higher  tone ;  but  something 
keeps  them  out.  But  this  reform  work  commenced, 
and  has  been  carried  on,  as  all  other  reforms,  among 
the  humbler  classes  in  society.” 

HOW  CHRIST  DID. 

“It  was  so  with  Christianity.  Christ  was  the  re- 
.puted  son  of  a  poor  man,  a  carpenter,  and  was  in  the 
highways  and  hedges  most  of  his  time.  He  didn’t 


394 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


stand  up  in  high  places  and  beckon  to  men  to  come 
up  ;  he  didn’t  judge  men  by  their  property,  or  color, 
or  nationality,  or  anything  except  the  principle  that 
was  in  him.  He  mingled  with  the  most  debased 
and  vile  and  unfortunate  and  wretched,  and  led  them 
along,  and  walked  with  them,  and  saved  them  by 
kindness  and  sympathy  and  brotherly  love.” 

“about  prohibition.” 

“A  word  about  prohibition.  I  come  from  the 
State  of  Hon.  Neal  Dow.  I  am  proud  of  the  State 
of  Maine.  I  never  knew  what  it  was  to  go  to  the 
polls  and  vote  for  anything  but  prohibition,  drunk  or 
sober.  I  rode  up  to  the  door  in  which  the  ballot-box 
was,  got  out  of  my  carriage  when  I  was  so  drunk 
that  I  could  hardly  walk,  and  always  voted  for  pro¬ 
hibition,  and  I  always  intend  to  so  long  as  God  gives 
me  the  breath  of  life.  And  I  want  to  tell  you  an¬ 
other  thing  about  prohibition. 

PUBLIC  SENTIMENT  MUST  BE  EDUCATED  UP  TO  PRO¬ 
HIBITION. 

“  Prohibition  can’t  succeed  until  there  is  a  public 
sentiment  to  back  it  up.  And  I  want  to  tell  you 
how  the  public  sentiment  is  being  raised  in  Massachu¬ 
setts.  The  public  sentiment  there  is  in  favor  of  tem¬ 
perance  ;  and  it  is  very  much  needed  to  be  created 
now,  and  is  being  created  by  the  united  efforts  of 
every  class  of  people.  This  work  is  not  being  done 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


395 


by  the  women,  the  Good  Templars,  the  Bechabites, 
the  Sons  of  Temperance,  the  Methodist  Church,  the 
Baptist  Church,  or  any  other  in  particular ;  but  by 
the  united  efforts  of  all  people  whom  we  can  get  in¬ 
terested  in  it  that  have  any  claim  whatever  upon 
being  good  people. 

•  TOTAL  ABSTINENCE  ABOVE  ALL. 

“And  if  I  had  time  I  could  tell  you  something 
about  my  work,  but  I  have  not.  It  takes  about  an 
hour  and  a  quarter  for  me  to  make  a  twenty-five 
minutes’  speech.  But  my  heart  is  in  the  work.  I 
have  forsaken  everything  for  this  work.  I  went  to 
Massachusetts  without  a  second  shirt  to  my  back, 
and  without  one  that  belonged  to  me,  as  the  result 
of  working  for  God  in  lifting  up  these  men.  But  I 
had  rather  stand  up  here  to-night  $10,000  in  debt, 
with  my  feet  planted  on  total  abstinence,  than  to  be 
worth  $50,000  and  be  where  I  was  two  years  ago. 

THE  WAY  TO  CONQUER. 

“Thanking  you  for  listening  so  attentively,  I  want 
every  one  of  you  to  pray  for  me  that  I  may  be  kept. 
He  who  conquers  himself  is  greater  than  he  who 
conquers  a  city.  I  have  conquered  myself  through 
God.  Pray  for  me  eLarnestly,  every  time,  that  I  may 
lift  up  those  who  are  suffering  from  strong  drink.” 


4596 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


CHAPTER  XXXI Y. 

ALCOHOL  HAS  NO  MEDICINAL  VALUE. 

There  are  many  who  hold  to  the  delusion  that 
alcohol  is  indispensable  as  a  medicine.  Among  them 
are  not  a  few  physicians  and  chemists  who  have 
never  given  the  subject  much  thought.  But  there 
are  others,  chiefly  such  as  have  considered  the  matter 
fully  and  intelligently,  who  are  clear  and  convincing 
in  their  position  that  it  is  useless  and  unnecessary. 
One  of  these  takes  the  same  arguments  adduced  in  its 
favor  as  a  remedy,  and  applies  them  with  equal  force 
to  the  proving  of  it  beneficial  as  a  beverage.  Another 
shows  by  the  peculiar  modus  operandi  involved  in  its 
so-called  support  of  the  constitution,  under  a  tempo¬ 
rary  failure  of  the  physical  powers,  that  it  is  not  a 
supporter  of  vitality  ;  that  it  is  simply  “  a  blind  ex¬ 
periment,”  as  Hr.  Bostock  has  said,  tc  upon  the  vitality 
of  the  patient that  it  “  supports  vitality  in  precisely 
the  same  way  that  a  wild  hyena  would  if  let  loose, 
among  a  crowd;”  that  it  is  inimical  to  life,  and  ab¬ 
solutely  hurtful  in  sickness. 

PHYSICIANS  TRAINED  TO  THE  DELUSION. 

Of  course,  there  are  those  who  will  say,  very  sagely , 
that  they  know  it  has  done  thus  and  so — citing  re¬ 
markable  instances  of  rallying,  or  of  recovery,  from 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


397 


its  effects.  And  there  are  those,  too,  who  will  ask, 
as  has  been  queried  by  another,  a  Why  do  physi¬ 
cians,  who  are  free  from  the  blight  of  alcohol,  pre¬ 
scribe  it  in  debility,  low  fevers,  small-pox,  consump¬ 
tion,  etc.?”  The  answer  is,  that  they  have  been 
trained  to  do  so,  just  as  physicians  were  once  trained 
not  to  allow  patients  cold  water  in  dangerous  diseases, 
in  which  cold  water  is  now  conceded  universally  to 
be  unavoidably  needful. 

Alcohol  aids  the  system  just  as  a  goad  and  heavier 
plough  gives  the  faithful  ox  more  of  ease  and  rest. 
The  human  system  frets  under  it — strives  to  dispel 
its  influence,  to  rid  itself  of  it ;  and  always  suffers, 
in  a  greater  or  less  degree,  ill  effects  from  its  use. 
It  is  a  high  condition  of  stimulation — a  species  of 
poisoning — that  can  only  save  life,  if  even  such  is 
the  result,  where  any  of  the  well-known  poisons 
would  do  it  with  less  of  jeopardy. 

WHAT  DISTINGUISHED  MEN  SAY. 

But  let  us  refer  to  a  few  of  the  most  distinguished 
of  medical  authorities  upon  this  subject : 

Professor  Thomas  Sewell,  M.D.,  of  Washington, 
says : 

“  Every  independent,  honest,  sober,  intelligent 
doctor  will  tell  you  that  there  is  no  case  in  which 
ardent  spirit  is  indispensable,  and  so  long  as  it  is 
used  as  a  medicine,  so  long  shall  we  have  invalids 
and  drunkards  among  us.  Only  let  our  profession 
take  a  decided  stand  on  this  point,  and  intemperance 


398 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


will  soon  vanish  from  our  country.  The  day  is  not 
far  distant  when,  by  universal  consent,  ardent  spirits 
in  every  form  shall  be  cast  out  from  the  sick  room  as 
its  last  lurking  place,  its  final  stronghold,  and  this 
without  impairing  the  power  of  the  healing  art  or 
limiting  its  resources.  When  this  is  effected,  and 
not  till  then,  will  the  cause  of  universal  temperance 
have  gained  a  full  triumph.  When  the  light  of  that 
day  arises  a  whole  class  of  diseases  of  the  body,  mind, 
and  moral  constitution  is  extirpated  for  ever.’’ 

In  the  “  Medical  Gazette,”  Dr.  Carson,  of  Pennsyl¬ 
vania,  thus  writes : 

a  The  profession  teaches  that  it  is  a  valuable  remedy 
for  disease.  The  graduate  passes  into  the  community, 
and  in  dysentery,  typhoid  and  typhus  fevers,  cholera, 
and  in  every  phase  of  real  or  apparent  weakness,  pre¬ 
scribes  it  for  his  patient  \  and  thus  not  only  fostering 
that  fierce  appetite  for  alcohol,  which  ceases  only 
with  death,  but  impressing  the  community  with  the 
belief  that  alcoholic  drinks  are  absolutely  essential 
to  the  preservation  of  health  and  the  cure  of  disease. 
What  can  moral  suasion  do  ?  What  can  the  Maine 
Law  effect  in  opposition  to  such  a  sentiment  among 
the  masses,  founded,  sustained,  and  encouraged  by 
the  voice  of  the  medical  profession  ?  Is  there  a 
disease  of  the  heart,  the  head,  the  lungs,  the  liver  or 
the  kidneys  that  has  not  been  produced  a  thousand 
times  by  alcoholic  drinks?  Is  there  a  single  one  of 
those  diseases  which  demands  their  use  as  a  remedy? 
Alcoholic  stimulants  are  not  necessary  in  the  treat- 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


399 


ment  of  any  disease.  Think,  gentlemen,  of  the  five 
hundred  young  physicians  being  annually  sent  from 
this  city  (Philadelphia)  to  the  various  States  of  the 
Union  to  practise  their  profession,  placing  the  brandy 
bottle  in  tens  of  thousands  of  the  families  as  a  remedy  ! 
Who  can  calculate  the  mischief  that  they  will  pro¬ 
duce?  It  were  better  for  mankind  that  they  had 
never  been  born.” 

In  the  u  Medical  Journal,”  of  Boston,  Dr.  Fuller 
thus  very  pointedly  remarks  : 

“  The  use  cannot  be  separated  from  the  abuse, 
either  as  a  beverage  or  as  a  medicine.  We  cannot 
prevent  the  use  of  alcohol  as  a  beverage  without  dis¬ 
carding  its  use.  I  think  that  the  profession  cannot 
but  perceive  that  while  alcoholic  prescriptions  are  so 
universal,  and  while  it  is  recommended  as  a  domestic 
medicine,  it  will  continue  to  be  used  as  a  beverage, 
and  its  lamentable  effects  will  follow.” 

The  well-known  medical  writer,  and  founder  of  a 
successful  medical  college  in  New  York,  Dr.  Trail, 
thus  reflects: 

16  The  effects  of  intemperance  may  be  summed  up 
in  a  few  words — vice,  crime,  pauperism,  social  cor¬ 
ruption  and  national  decline ;  and  the  root  of  the  evil 
is  alcoholic  medication.  It  is  true  now,  as  it  has 
ever  been,  that  just  to  the  extent  that  medical  men 
advise  and  prescribe  alcohol  as  a  medicine  will  the 
people  drink  it  as  a  beverage.  The  use  of  alcoholic 
drinks  always  did  and  always  will  follow  in  the  wake 
of  alcoholic  medication.  ’ 


400 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


The  “Medical  Times,”  of  New  York  city,  an  ably 
managed  and  influential  journal,  thus  appeals  to  the 
good  sense  of  the  medical  profession  : 

11  The  alarming  extent  to  which  alcoholic  stimu¬ 
lants  are  being  resorted  to  as  a  beverage,  by  the  pub¬ 
lic,  should  attract  the  serious  consideration  of  phy¬ 
sicians.  The  opinion  is  becoming  prevalent  that 
stimulus  is  beneficial.  The  various  quacks  who 
trump  their  ‘bitters’  into  the  market,  are  beginning 
to  understand  this,  and  have  already  reaped  a  golden 
harvest  from  a  very  extensive  sale  of  their  nostrums.” 

On  one  occasion,  said  Dr.  Blakeman,  in  narrating 
the  instance  of  a  young  lady,  before  the  Academy  of 
Medicine : 

“In  consequence  of  the  prescription  of  a  physician, 
she  was  led  into  habits  of  intemperance  to  such  an 
extent  that  in  the  course  of  emht  months  she  was  ac- 

o 

customed  to  take  two  and  one-half  pints  of  brandy 
daily.  She  died  a  drunkard.” 

Professor  Benjamin  F.  Barker,  of  the  New  York 
College  of  Medicine,  said  : 

“  I  have  known  several  ladies  to  become  habitual 
drunkards,  the  primary  cause  being  a  taste  for  stim¬ 
ulus,  which  was  acquired  by  alcoholic  drinks  being 
administered  to  them  as  medicine.” 

In  the  “  Materia  Medica”  of  Dr.  Chapin,  the  fol¬ 
lowing  words  have  escaped  the  editor’s  pen: 

“  It  is  the  sacred  duty  of  every  one  exercising  the 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


401 


profession  of  medicine,  to  unite  with  the  moralist,  the 
divine,  and  the  economist,  in  discouraging  the  con¬ 
sumption  of  these  baneful  articles;  and,  as  the  first 
step  in  the  scheme  of  reformation,  to  discountenance 
the  baneful  notion  of  their  remedial  efficacy.” 

Before  the  Academy  of  Medicine,  in  New  York, 
Professor  Post  instanced  the  case  of  a  patient — a 
young  man — who  was  hereditarily  predisposed  to 
consumption  of  the  lungs.  Acting  upon  the  advice 
of  a  physician,  he  freely  took  to  the  use  of  alcoholic 
stimulants,  became  an  inebriate,  and  died  of  delirium 
tremens.  In  this  we  have  the  peculiar  wisdom  of  a 
class  of  physicians  set  before  us.  Better  had  he  fal¬ 
len  by  his  pulmonary  affection,  a  thousand  fold. 

Dr.  Post  also  employed  these  words  :  “  Even  as  a 
medicine  alcohol  is  ‘  a  mocker,’  and  all  the  bitters, 
tonics,  etc.,  which  men  use  who  would  scorn  to  enter 
a  rum  shop,  are  disguised  assassins  in  satan’s  ser- 
vice. 

Professor  Mussey  of  the  State  Medical  College  of 
Ohio,  says : 

“  I  deny  that  alcoholic  spirit  is  essential  to  the 
practice  of  either  physic  or  surgery.  So  long  as  it  re¬ 
tains  a  place  among  sick  patients,  so  long  will  these 
be  drunkards.” 

The  venerable  Dr.  Porter,  of  Portland  City,  Maine, 
after  an  experience  of  sixty  years  in  his  profession, 
declared  as  follows : 


26 


402 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


“  I  exceedingly  regret  the  exception  (in  favor  of 
ardent  spirit  as  a  medicine)  in  the  constitutions  of 
temperance  societies.” 

Professor  Emlen,  of  the  Philadelphia  Medical  Col¬ 
lege,  uttered  these  words : 

u  All  the  use  of  ardent  spirits  is  an  abuse.  They 
are  mischievous  under  all  circumstances.” 

Dr.  Johnson,  curtly  said  of  alcohol: 

“  I  have  known  it  to  do  much  harm,  and  never  any 
good.” 


THE  MEDICAL  FRATERNITY  NOT  INNOCENT. 

Facts  and  names  might  here  be  given  ad  infinitum , 
did  our  space  warrant,  or  any  further  evidence  than 
we  have  adduced  seem  necessary.  It  is  unmistaka¬ 
ble  that  the  medical  fraternity  has  not  been  innocent 
of  the  destruction  of  both  bodies  and  souls  in  thus 
playing  with  what  is  as  dangerous,  in  the  sick  room, 
as  fire.  It  has  a  mission  to  fulfil  in  the  great  work 
of  reform,  of  an  all  important  kind.  If  it  will  but 
set  its  face  firmly  against  stimulants,  they  will  soon 
decline  from  the  tinctures,  extracts,  and  nostrums  of 
the  drug-store  and  quackery  ;  and  many  shining 
lights  in  its  own  calling  will  thus  be  preserved  to 
ennoble  its  character,  and  aid  in  the  mitigation  of 
physical  suffering  among  the  people. 

HOW  TO  SUCCEED  MORE  SPEEDILY. 

If  the  work  of  reform  is  ever  to  succeed — as  surely 
it  will — it  will  do  so  much  more  speedily,  if  the  great 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


403 


and  heaven-inspired  professions  of  the  ministry  and 
medicine  will  consistently  and  zealously  wield  their 
power  on  the  side  of  Truth  and  Temperance. 

TWO  MORE  WITNESSES. 

In  concluding  these  reflections,  we  will  advert  to 
two  more  testimonies  of  importance  touching  our 
subject : 

R.  A.  Law,  Esq.,  a  gentleman  who  has  been  promi¬ 
nent  and  active  in  the  work  of  temperance  among 
boys  and  girls,  thus  writes  : 

“Everywhere  I  find  alcoholic  medication  the  chief 
obstacle  in  my  pathway.  Everywhere  the  medical 
profession  is  the  stronghold  of  intemperance.  The 
people  are  everywhere  indoctrinated  with  the  ‘  re¬ 
spiratory  food’  and  ‘  vital  supporter  ’  fallacies,  and 
the  practice  of  physicians  keeps  up  the  clamor.” 

Professor  McCullough,  of  Dumfries,  in  the  World’s 
Temperance  Convention,  as  early  as  1862,  uttered 
this  sentence  of  wisdom  : 

“  The  last  and  strongest  fortress  the  temperance 
army  will  have  to  conquer  will  be  the  Medical  Pro¬ 
fession.” 

To  the  great  healing  profession,  we  say.  ‘heal 
thyself.’ 


404 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 

ALCOHOL  IN'  THE  LIGHT  OF  SCIENCE. 

As  this  work  has  the  purpose,  in  its  preparation, 
of  doing  good,  we  deem  it  advisable  to  show  the  real 
character  of  spirituous  and  malt  liquors.  For  it  is 
clear  that  very  few  persons,  comparatively,  have  any 
fair  knowledge  of  the  general  nature  and  effects, 
physiologically,  of  alcohol  upon  the  u  human  form 
divine/’  otherwise  they  would  disdain  to  use  it,  much 
less  become  its  miserable  slaves.  We  will,  as  briefly 
as  possible,  present  it,  as  authoritatively  furnished  us 
in  the  light  of  science  : 

“  By  its  chemical  composition  ethylic  alcohol  would 
take  a  certain  place  as  a  food,  because  it  is  repre¬ 
sented  by  the  symbols  C2  H6  0,  which  show  that  it 
possesses  carbon  or  heat-giving  properties  ;  but  whilst 
at  one  time  it  was  considered  a  food,  and  was  subse¬ 
quently  declared  to  be  utterly  useless  in  the  human 
economy — being  eliminated  comparatively  unchanged, 
it  is  now  generally  conceded  that  it  is  ‘  food  ’  of  a  sort, 
but  working  rather  more  injury  than  good  in  the 
human  system.  If  we  take  two  men  of  equal  vitality, 
and  give  one  alcohol  and  keep  all  food  from  the 
other,  it  is  probable  that  the  one  who  has  the  alcohol 
will  live  the  longest;  but  we  know  now  if  human 
beings  are  supplied  with  suitable  food,  those  who  take 
the  least  alcohol  will  cazteris  paribus ,  live  the  longest. 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


405 


So  far,  we  have  used  the  term  ‘  alcohol 5  in  a  general 
way  ;  but  pure  alcohol  is  only  known  in  the  chemist’s 
laboratory.  It  has  so  great  an  affinity  for  water  that 
it  is  only  by  the  greatest  care  that  the  chemist  can 
obtain  it  absolutely  pure.  He  must  distil  it  over  and 
over  again,  and  absorb  the  water  with  caustic  potash 
before  he  can  obtain  the  liquid  he  wants. 

“  Now  this  liquid  is  absolute  poison — if  we  can 
conceive  it  possible  that  any  one  would  drink  it. 
So  energetically  does  it  absorb  water  that,  taken  into 
the  system,  it  would  dry  up  the  tissues  and  destroy 
life.  Suffice  it  to  say  that,  while  alcoholic  drinks  to 
a  certain  extent  act  as  stimulants,  it  is  known  that 
they  are  really  depressants  and  narcotics.  As  ordi¬ 
narily  imbibed,  they  act  for  a  time  as  stimulants  so 
called.  They  accelerate  the  motions  of  the  heart  and 
excite  the  nerves ;  they  cause  a  feeling  of  genial 
warmth  at  the  surface  ;  but  the  internal  heat  is  de¬ 
creased,  and  when  administered  in  large  doses  the 
temperature  goes  down  so  quickly  and  to  such  an 
extent  that  it  is  readily  detected  by  the  aid  of  a  ther¬ 
mometer.  As  bodily  heat,  especially  in  this  climate, 
is  synonymous  with  vitality,  it  will  be  readily  under¬ 
stood  that  anything  which  reduces  it,  without  furnish¬ 
ing  the  requisite  material  for  the  reaction,  must  of 
necessity  be  useless  as  an  article  of  food.” 

“is  it  strange?” 

Before  these  facts,  is  it  strange  at  all  that  all  liquors, 
malt  or  spirituous,  blunt  and  debase  the  faculties  of 


406 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


soul  and  body?  Is  it  any  wonder  that  the  most 
eminent  and  wisest  physicians,  chemists  and  scien¬ 
tists  have  always  deplored  its  use  ?  And  is  it 
singular  that  ministers,  lecturers  and  essayists  have 
always  felt  that  it  was  a  subject  worthy  public  ex¬ 
posure  ? 

WHAT  LAMB  SAID  OF  IT. 

The  great  Charles  Lamb,  one  of  the  most  charm¬ 
ing  writers  in  our  language,  has  cried  out  from  his 
whole  being;  “  The  waters  have  gone  over  me.  But 
out  of  the  black  depths,  could  I  be  heard,  I  would 
cry  out  to  all  those  who  have  but  set  foot  in  the 
perilous  flood.  Could  the  youth,  to  whom  the  flavor 
of  his  first  wine  is  delicious  as  the  opening  scenes  of 
life,  or  the  entering  upon  some  newly-discovered 
paradise,  look  into  my  desolation,  and  be  made  to 
understand  what  a  dreary  thing  it  is  when  a  man 
shall  feel  himself  going  down  a  precipice  with  open 
eyes  and  a  passive  will ;  to  see  his  destruction,  and 
have  no  power  to  stop  it,  and  yet  to  feel  it  all  the 
way  emanating  from  himself;  to  perceive  all  good¬ 
ness  emptied  out  of  him,  and  yet  not  to  be  able  to 
forget  a  time  when  it  was  otherwise ;  to  hear  about 
the  piteous  spectacle  of  his  own  self-ruin;  could  he 
see  my  fevered  eye,  feverish  with  last  night’s  drink¬ 
ing,  and  feverishly  looking  forward  for  this  night’s 
repetition  of  the  folly ;  could  he  feel  the  death,  out 
of  which  I  cry  hourly  with  feebler  outcry  to  be  de¬ 
livered,  it  were  enough  to  make  him  dash  the  spark¬ 
ling  beverage  to  the  earth  in  all  the  pride  of  its 
mantling  temptation.” 


GOSPEL  TEMPERANCE. 


407 


AN  APPEAL. 

Under  such  statements  can  we  do  less  that  call 
upon  the  people  everywhere,  young  and  old,  male 
and  female,  to  put  their  shoulders  to  the  great  wheels 
of  the  Gospel  Movement  wherever  it  shall  appear;  to 
encourage  it  by  word  and  act ;  and  to  extend  senti¬ 
ments  and  deeds  of  encouragement  to  those  who  have 
just  escaped  the  powerful  grasp  of  the  miserable 
Demon,  whose  hands  and  lips  are  red  with  the  best 
blood  our  nation  has  ever  produced  ? 

Let  the  pulpit  and  rostrum,  the  capitalist  and 
laborer,  all  ranks  and  conditions,  at  leas  tupon  this 
question,  stand  together  in  behalf  of  a  common  hu¬ 
manity.  Let  all  remember  that,  when  the  sin  and 
curse  of  rum  is  washed  away,  the  clouds  of  pauper¬ 
ism  and  crime  will  break  from  over  us,  and  let  in  the 
full  light  and  beauty  of  peace,  prosperity,  happiness 
and  righteousness. 

CLOSING  WORDS  TO  THE  REFORMED  MEN. 

To  the  men  who  have  signed,  we  say,  be  steadfastl 
Yes,  men,  be  steadfastl  Remember  that  vou  stand 
pledged  to  lives  of  sobriety  and  manliness.  Allow 
no  temptation  so  much  as  a  moment’s  consideration. 
Your  arch-enemy  is  wily — yea,  the  insinuating  Devil 
himself.  Give  him  the  finger  and  he  will  instantly 
seize  your  hand.  You  cannot  risk  his  company  an 
hour  or  a  moment,  with  any  more  impunity  than  you 
can  a  year.  When  the  appetite  appears,  throttle  it. 
Down,  on  your  knees  I  You  have  not  strength 
enough ;  but  God  has.  Ask  Him,  and  He  will  give 


408 


THE  TRUE  PATH. 


you  victory  so  that  like  David,  you  shall  never  lose 
a  battle.  Ask  Him,  and  He  will  give  you  more 
freely  than  even  you  can  receive. 

Under  no  circumstances,  stand  in  your  own  strength ! 
Even  God,  who  teaches  temperance  and  truth,  in  all 
things,  may  turn  from  you  and  smite  you,  as  He  did 
Gehazi,  the  servant  of  Elisha,  if  you  imagine  that  in 
the  strength  of  your  own  will,  you  are  some  great 
one.  Be  humble!  Trust  Jehovah!  Solomon  said 
that  a  lofty  spirit  in  man  preceded  a  fall,  and  we 
have  ever  so  found  it.  Those  who  most  think  they 
stand,  always  are  surest  and  quickest  to  fall.  Be  de¬ 
pendent,  then !  Call  upon  God’s  Holy  Spirit !  Pray 
daily,  and  He  will  keep  your  feet. 

Is  the  precious  boon  of  freedom,  of  soberness,  of 
respectability,  and  temporal  and  eternal  happiness, 
not  worth  so  slight  and  transient  a  struggle  ? 

Keep  before  you,  also,  your  obligation  !  It  was  of  • 
your  own  volition.  You  had  tried  the  venomous 
thing  in  the  glass,  and  found  it  stung  you.  It  would 
have  done  so  again,  and  again,  until  you  had  died  in 
the  delirium  or  disease  emanating  from  its  fangs. 
Thank  God,  you  escaped  with  your  life!  You  tried, 
we  say,  and  escaped.  Of  your  option,  you  chose 
Temperance.  Let  it  be  this,  then,  forever.  Be 
courageous,  be  true.  And  if  all  others  go  down  in 
the  conflict,  and  are  faithless,  stand  firm  and  invin¬ 
cible  in  the  power  of  the  Almighty,  and  He  will  put 
upon  your  brow  a  wreath  that  archangels  and  sera- 
phims  will  honor. 


% 


•* 


\ 


